# Possible school shooting ~40mi NE of Atlanta (9/4/2024) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [September 4, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755 "2024-09-04T15:51:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/122 "2024-10-03T18:42:53Z")
**The making of an alleged school shooter: Missed warnings and years of neglect** > The spiraling path that led Colt to a jail cell offers an extraordinary case study on the making of yet another young man accused of gunning down children in their classrooms and hallways — a story, like so many before it, of neglect, dysfunction and missed or ignored warnings. This account of the circumstances that preceded last month’s bloodshed is based on interviews with family members and officials as well as a review of private messages, police documents and school records. > > Over three years, institutions charged with protecting children and the wider public encountered Colt in times of crisis but did not prevent the violence that would follow\*,\* The Post examination found\*.\* In these moments, Colt and his family interacted with Georgia child welfare workers, four school systems, three county sheriffs departments and two local police agencies. [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-making-of-an-alleged-school-shooter-missed-warnings-and-years-of-neglect/ar-AA1rEi43?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=9ae8ccf73d2648f6f6ca8b77e984ea7a&ei=25](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-making-of-an-alleged-school-shooter-missed-warnings-and-years-of-neglect/ar-AA1rEi43?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=9ae8ccf73d2648f6f6ca8b77e984ea7a&ei=25) Reprint of Washington Post article. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/123 "2026-03-03T16:19:51Z")
the jury took less than 2 hours. there were 27 counts. ## Father found guilty in school shooting [Colin Gray, the father of the shooter, Colt Gray, was found guilty of all charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. The jury found Gray criminally responsible for the actions of his son, who was 14 at the time of the shooting. Gray was found guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. The trial revealed that Gray had given his son access to a gun and ammunition, despite knowing that his son was obsessed with school shooters and had a shrine in his bedroom to Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=0f1bf7848f984452e21d944133e39d984be56aa9322145b91f8aa0854dd30a08JmltdHM9MTc3MjQ5NjAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=13dc6e28-7d06-6256-2810-78e47c1f6392&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmJjbmV3cy5jb20vbmV3cy91cy1uZXdzL2dlb3JnaWEtZmF0aGVyLWNvbGluLWdyYXktZm91bmQtZ3VpbHR5LXNvbnMtYWxsZWdlZC1kZWFkbHktc2Nob29sLXNob28tcmNuYTI2MTMxOA&ntb=1) [ NBC News\*\*+3\*\* ](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=0f1bf7848f984452e21d944133e39d984be56aa9322145b91f8aa0854dd30a08JmltdHM9MTc3MjQ5NjAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=13dc6e28-7d06-6256-2810-78e47c1f6392&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmJjbmV3cy5jb20vbmV3cy91cy1uZXdzL2dlb3JnaWEtZmF0aGVyLWNvbGluLWdyYXktZm91bmQtZ3VpbHR5LXNvbnMtYWxsZWdlZC1kZWFkbHktc2Nob29sLXNob28tcmNuYTI2MTMxOA&ntb=1) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/124 "2026-07-24T16:53:26Z")
> **[Teen pleads guilty to murder in a 2024 shooting that left 4 dead at Georgia's...](https://apnews.com/article/apalachee-georgia-school-shooting-colt-gray-8be7ba5efae9cce53e0f8c61253a5f1b)** > > A teenager has pleaded guilty to all 55 counts in a deadly shooting nearly two years ago at Apalachee High School in Georgia. > Colt Gray, 16, entered the plea Friday without having reached a deal with prosecutors. That is strange. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/125 "2026-07-24T16:55:40Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > > Colt Gray, 16, entered the plea Friday without having reached a deal with prosecutors. > > That is strange. The prosecution probably had no incentive to make a deal, and he knew he had no chance of winning at trial. Probably thought the judge would appreciate the plea. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/126 "2026-07-24T16:58:24Z")
It’s commonly called an “open plea” or “non-negotiated plea.” The defendant admits guilt, but has no pre-arranged agreement with the prosecutor about sentencing. It will be followed by a sentencing hearing. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/127 "2026-07-24T17:05:07Z")
Seeing how thoroughly and promptly his Dad was found guilty of everything, there wasn’t much point in dragging this out further. The kid almost certainly doesn’t meet the legal definition of sufficiently insane to not be guilty. But at the same time he’s already on record as being really lousy at good decisions where guns and shooting up schools are concerned. This is perhaps just one more stupid decision. Albeit one with a bunch of attorney oversight. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/128 "2026-07-28T22:47:08Z")
> **[Teen gets life without parole for killing 4 at Georgia’s Apalachee High School](https://apnews.com/article/apalachee-georgia-school-shooting-colt-gray-3c3e72d6e712724c0c7eb9b2cf20f65a)** > > A teenager who killed two students and two teachers in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia has been sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/129 "2026-07-29T01:04:41Z")
Lives taken, lives thrown away. And neither root causes NOR what enables it to happen easily in practice, seem to be a priority to get addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/130 "2026-07-29T13:31:49Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The kid almost certainly doesn’t meet the legal definition of sufficiently insane to not be guilty. but he does meet the definition of kid. Why have a juvenile justice system if 14 yo are going to get charged as an adult? Was his mind sufficiently developed to understand the consequences of his actions? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/131 "2026-07-29T13:53:59Z")
That’s a darn good question. We in the USA have slowly lowered the age of “He shoulda knowed better than _that!_” for particularly egregious examples of [that]. Of which this case is (IMO) reasonably one of of those egregious examples. Age 14 is about high school freshman. Did I have great adult-level judgement as a 14-yo? Hell no. Did I know that shooting at people with the intent to kill them was illegal and just plain not a nice thing to do? I sure did. If the kid is a psychopath with violent tendencies, he was sorta doomed from birth to do this or something else similar at some point. Like Kohberger who made it all the way to grad school before his psychopathy boiled over into overt violence. The only upside to putting him away now is he doesn’t end up with a string of unsolved murders leading up to the one he finally gets caught for. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/132 "2026-07-30T18:02:52Z")
> **[Father who gave gun to Apalachee High School shooter sentenced to serve 15...](https://apnews.com/article/apalachee-georgia-school-shooting-colin-gray-5a466d925a4525aa1a51ed9c48e6ec97)** > > A man who gave his son the gun he used in a deadly high school shooting in Georgia has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755/133 "2026-07-30T18:07:08Z")
It will be interesting to see how this parental prosecution will be expanded beyond school shootings into other crimes done by teenagers and youth…and maybe even young adults. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-school-shooting-40mi-ne-of-atlanta-9-4-2024/1006755.md?page=6)