Family of Georgia high school shooter sparks outrage with terrifying threat after 14-year-old charged as adult in massacre

The family of Georgia school shooter Colt Gray vowed to go “full steam ahead” after the 14-year-old was charged as an adult with the murders of four people on Wednesday. Gray's relatives rushed to his aid within hours of him allegedly opening fire at Apalachee High School, killing four people and wounding nine others.

Gray's aunt, Annie Polhamus Brown, posted on Facebook afterward about how many challenges he had “overcome” and said she would “take care of my nephew and whatever he needs on this side.” Georgia. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Gray immediately surrendered when police approached him and took care of himself by laying down.

Family comes to Gray’s aid

Brown immediately defended Gray, writing, “Check yourself before you speak out about a child who never asked to have to deal with the crap he was subjected to on a daily basis.”

“Are you ready to see Polhamus' blood in full? No, me neither,” she wrote in another post. The posts have since been deleted.

The social media posts sparked a storm of outrage as a flood of condolences poured in for the four victims of the tragedy: teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall and 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo.

Authorities are still investigating how Gray managed to get an AR-style weapon into the school. Footage of the events shows the weapon lying on the floor as terrified students are carried through the hallways to safety.

As parents and police rushed to the school in Winder, Georgia, Polhamus Brown turned to Facebook and asked for help reaching the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“Can someone please put me in touch with GBI!!! I've tried calling!” she wrote, adding, “I'm not afraid, I won't give in.”

“I will not leave my nephew alone!!!” she continued in the post. “When Uvalde (school massacre) happened, I told my own children that 'only hurt people hurt others.'”

Polhamus Brown said she had “done everything she could to fight for my nephew” while criticizing others for “placing blame.”

She also addressed the victims of the shooting, acknowledging that the “families affected by my nephew's actions deserve all the attention right now.” “I will NOT disrespect other parents and families dealing with this tragedy on the other side. THEY DON'T DESERVE THIS,” she wrote.

Outrage on social media

Following Polhamus Brown's social media posts, some people criticized her comments. One said that the alleged shooter's family abandoned him and now you want to find excuses.

Officials said Gray's rampage was stopped within minutes because he immediately surrendered to police officers, “gave up and laid down on the ground.”

Gray had been on the FBI's radar for over a year due to an investigation into online threats related to a school shooting.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office had interviewed Gray and his father in response to several tips the FBI received in May 2023 that included photographs of firearms.

At the time, he denied making the threats, and his father told investigators that while there were hunting rifles in their home, Gray did not have unsupervised access to them, the FBI said.

It is still unclear how the 14-year-old got hold of the weapon used in the attack. Officials have not revealed what type of weapon it was either.

According to the Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, after his arrest, Gray will be charged with murder and tried as an adult.

According to police, Gray began shooting around 10:23 a.m., affecting at least 13 people as chaos broke out at the school.