"Neglected His Son Despite Warning Signs"
In connection with the mass shooting at a U.S. high school that left four people dead, the father of the 14-year-old shooter has been found guilty of neglecting to prevent his child’s crime.
According to reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and other media on March 3 (local time), a jury at the Hall County Superior Court in Georgia returned guilty verdicts on 25 charges, including second-degree murder, against Colin Gray (55), the father of the shooter, Colt Gray (16).
At the time of the incident, Colt Gray, who was 14 years old, opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at Appalachian High School in northern Atlanta, Georgia-where he was a student-on September 4, 2024. He killed four people, including two teachers and two students, and injured nine others.
Temporary memorial space set up inside Appalachian High School near Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where a mass shooting occurred on September 4, 2024 (local time). Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Investigations revealed that the semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting had been given to Colt Gray by his father, Colin Gray, as a Christmas gift. Colt Gray had previously decorated his room with photos and articles related to the Parkland shooting in Florida and displayed abnormal behavior at school, prompting teachers to recommend psychiatric counseling.
About a year prior to the incident, he had posted content on social networking services (SNS) hinting at a mass shooting, which led to questioning by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). At the time of the crime, he was living alone with his father, separated from his mother.
Prosecutors highlighted the father's responsibility during the trial. Prosecutor Patricia Brooks argued that Colin Gray was "the only person who could have prevented the shooting as a parent," and added, "Despite warning signs from his son, he neglected him-instead, he gave him a firearm as a gift and allowed him access to ammunition."
Colin Gray could face up to life imprisonment as a result of the guilty verdict. His son, Colt Gray, despite being only 14 at the time of the crime, has been charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder and is currently awaiting trial. In the United States, minors are typically tried in juvenile or family court, but in severe cases, they may be tried as adults at the discretion of the court.
This verdict is expected to set an important precedent, holding not only shooters but also their parents accountable in school shooting cases. In 2024, the mother of a 15-year-old student who killed four people in the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
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