Colt Gray, suspect in Georgia high school shooting, appears in court after bloody attack that left four people dead

Suspected Georgia school shooter Colt Gray appeared in court in handcuffs on Friday – almost immediately followed by his weeping father, who was told he faces up to 180 years in prison for helping the teenager get his AR rifle.

The 14-year-old defendant with the baby-like face and green prison garb responded with just two words – “Yes, sir” – when a Barrow District Court judge asked him simple questions during his brief bail hearing.

Colt is charged as an adult with four counts of murder in connection with Wednesday's shooting at Apalachee High School that killed two students and two teachers.

The teenager, who is being held at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, stared straight ahead, his shaggy blond hair obscuring his face, as the judge initially informed him that he could face the death penalty if convicted.

Gray, who did not enter a plea, was led out of the courtroom with his hands and feet shackled after his lawyer declined to request bail.

But Judge Currie Mingledorff quickly dragged Gray back to the court to correct his statement. He told the youth that he was not eligible for the death penalty because he was younger than 18; instead, he could face life in prison.

His father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, appeared in the same courtroom moments later after facing a series of charges on Thursday, including those related to supplying the AR-15 rifle allegedly used in the massacre.

The father, wearing a gray-striped prison uniform, closed his eyes and rocked back and forth in his chair as the judge told him that if convicted on all counts, he faced up to 180 years in prison.

The elder Gray, whose lawyer also waived bail, is charged with four counts of manslaughter, two counts of premeditated murder and eight counts of child abuse.

The grieving relatives of at least one of the victims sat in the front row of the courtroom during successive hearings and could be seen clutching a stuffed Mickey Mouse in tears.

Before the hearings began, court staff placed boxes of tissues along the benches in the courtroom.

The baby-faced teenager is accused of killing four people and injuring nine others when he went on a rampage at his school in Winder, just outside Atlanta, on Wednesday morning.

The tragic shooting at the high school in Georgia: This is what is known so far

He was taken into custody just minutes after allegedly gunning down his victims and later told investigators during questioning: “It was me,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told CNN.
Investigators have not yet revealed a motive for the bloodshed.

They are desperately trying to determine if there were other warning signs after authorities first visited his home in May 2023 because he threatened a school shooting on social media, investigators said.

Meanwhile, Gray's father has also been charged in connection with the shooting.

The father reportedly bought the AR-style assault rifle as a Christmas present for Colt, just months after police questioned the two about the online threats, law enforcement sources told The Washington Post.

“His charges are directly related to his son's actions and permission to possess a gun,” said Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

His son was charged with quadruple murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.