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Elena Chiujdea

On 4th September, a 14-year-old American student killed two fellow students and two teachers in a school shooting in Georgia. 

Colt Gray started shooting inside Apalachee High School in Winder. An AR-15 rifle was used during the attack.

The victims killed during the attack were Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie also died.

Eight other students and one other teacher were wounded during the shooting.

Colt and Colin Gray – father and son – appeared in court on Friday 6th September.

Judge Currie Mingledorff detailed the charges, explaining Colt Gray was “charged with four counts of felony murder.”

Judge Mingledorff said: “I want to make you aware that the maximum penalty for felony murder, is that you could be punishable by death, by imprisonment for life without parol or by imprisonment for life.”

“Colt and Colin Gray will remain in custody”

As reported by the BBC, Judge Mingledorff later rectified the possible penalty for 14-year-old Gray. He will be charged as an adult, but because he is a minor, penalty by death will not be considered.

Colin Gray, 54, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder.

The Judge said: “The maximum penalty under the law for each of those 8 counts is 10 years imprisonment. For a maximum total of possible penalty for the charges that you currently are facing of 180 years imprisonment.”

Colt and Colin Gray will remain in custody until 4th December, when their preliminary hearing will take place.

FBI INVESTIGATION: SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT

The FBI investigated Colt and Colin Gray back in 2023.

The son was making online threats about school violence and school shootings at an unnamed school near his home.

As reported by CNN, authorities working the case found a list of past school shootings in Colt Gray’s bedroom. The list included a 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

Jackson County Sheriff, Janis Mangum, said: “This case was worked, and at the time the boy was 13, and it wasn’t enough to substantiate.”

PARENT CHARGED FOR SON’S MASS SHOOTING

Marcee Gray, the boy’s mother, told ABC News she called the school after receiving an “I’m sorry Mom” text from her son the morning of the shooting.

Law enforcement sources said Colin Gray purchased the AR-15 riffle as a Christmas present for his son in 2023.

 Colin Gray said: “He [Colt Gray] knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do, and how to use them and not use them.”

“Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough is enough’ and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation”

The gifted weapon – to a 13-years-old – was used a year later during the Georgia school shooting.

Gray’s parents separated after fourteen years. Colt Gray is said to have struggled with his parents’ separation.

Marcee Gray posted on LinkedIn after her divorce saying: “After 14yrs of almost constant domestic abuse, I packed myself and my babies up and relocated to my hometown in south GA.”

REACTION TO THE SHOOTING

During a Phoenix Trump-Vance campaign rally, CNN reporter Kit Maher asked JD Vance about the tragic Georgia school shooting.

The Republican said: “Strict gun laws is not the thing that is going to solve this problem.”

After suggesting school shootings are “just a fact of life,” Vance said what America needs is to “bolster security at our schools.”

At the other end of the political spectrum, Democrats are calling for stricter gun laws.

Joe Biden released a statement which reads: “After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say ‘enough is enough’ and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation.” Biden recognised: “These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart.”

At a New Hampshire campaign rally – transmitted by ABC News – Kamala Harris said: “It’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America, that parents have to send their children to school worried about whether or not their child will come back home alive.”

SCHOOL SHOOTINGS 2024: WHAT ARE THE STATS?

This year, 28 school shootings have taken place, causing injuries or deaths to the ones involved, as reported by Education Week.

In 2024, a total of 45 people have been injured and 12 killed as a result of mass school shootings.

Education Week recorded 38 shootings in schools in 2023. Additionally, a total of 42 were injured and 21 killed last year.

This year’s figures show a much faster increase in school shootings and the number of victims losing their lives.

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Featured image courtesy  Thomas Park on Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image licence found here.

I am 22, currently completing my MA in Journalism at Kingston University with an implemented NCTJ. I finished my BA in English at Royal Holloway University of London. During my studies I was a contributor for Orbital Magazine and the Deputy Editor for The Founder Newspaper. After my Journalism MA I am looking to write for current affairs and explore with broadcast journalism.

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