Father of Georgia school shooting suspect found guilty of murder and manslaughter

The father of a teenage boy accused of killing two students and two teachers in a mass shooting at a Georgia high school in 2024 was found guilty on Tuesday of second-degree murder and other charges.

After roughly two weeks of testimony, jurors deliberated for just a few hours before convicting 54-year-old Colin Gray on more than two dozen charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, related to the 4 September fatal shooting at Apalachee high school in Georgia.

Gray had been charged with 29 counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. The Associated Press reported that Georgia law defines second-degree murder as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children.

He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prosecutors accused Gray of “criminal negligence” and argued that he gave his 14-year-old son, Colt Gray, access to a firearm and ammunition after “receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger the bodily safety of another”.

Colt Gray is accused of fatally shooting two students and two teachers with an assault-style rifle at the Apalachee high school on 4 September 2024. He faces 55 counts, including four counts of malice murder and four counts of felony murder. Prosecutors are charging him as an adult. He has also pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The victims of the attack were identified as teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded.

The case against Colin Gray comes as several other parents have been charged in connection with school shootings carried out by their children in recent years.

In 2024, the parents of of a Michigan high school student who shot and killed four students were both found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 to 15 years behind bars.

According to the Associated Press, Colin Gray will be sentenced at a later date. The news outlet reports that Gray faces up to 30 years behind bars.

Georgia Public Broadcasting reported that Gray’s attorneys are likely to appeal.