BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — The father of the teenager responsible for the 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted on charges connected to the attack.
A Georgia judge handed down the sentence Thursday to Colin Gray, days after his son, Colt Gray, received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing two students and two teachers during the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting.
During sentencing, Judge Nicholas Primm said the case demonstrated a serious failure in parental responsibility while acknowledging the challenge of sentencing a crime based on negligence rather than intent.
Earlier this year, a jury found Colin Gray guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
The shooting also left another teacher and eight students injured.
Prosecutors argued that Colin Gray gave his son the semiautomatic rifle used in the attack as a Christmas gift, along with ammunition and other shooting accessories. They also presented evidence that warning signs surrounding the teenager’s mental health and fascination with previous mass shootings had been ignored.
According to testimony presented during the trial, Colt Gray had displayed troubling behavior in the months leading up to the shooting, and family members had expressed concerns about his access to firearms.
Victims’ families urged the court to impose the maximum sentence, saying the tragedy could have been prevented if stronger safeguards had been in place.
Defense attorneys argued that Colin Gray never intended for the shooting to occur and requested a lighter sentence, saying his son concealed the extent of his behavior and online activity.
Judge Primm ultimately sentenced Gray to 15 years in prison, stating that while he did not carry out the shooting himself, he failed to act despite numerous warning signs and failed to prevent his son’s access to firearms.
The case is one of a growing number across the United States in which parents have faced criminal charges after prosecutors alleged their actions contributed to school shootings. Earlier this year, Michigan parents Jennifer and James Crumbley were each sentenced to 10 years in prison following the 2021 Oxford High School shooting involving their son.
Colt Gray will spend the remainder of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for the attack.
