In a landmark case that legal experts say could reshape accountability for mass shootings in the US, Colin Gray, 54, was convicted of murder in Georgia in early March, nearly two years after his 14-year-old son allegedly killed four people and injured nine others at Apalachee High School in Winder. Gray did not fire any shots and was not present during the attack, but he was punished as if he had.
Gray's conviction is the second time a parent of a school shooter in the US has faced homicide charges, following the trial of Jennifer and James Crumbley in Michigan. The Crumbleys were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in early 2024 after their son killed four students at Oxford High School in 2021. Prosecutors argued they facilitated the shooting by giving their son access to a firearm despite warnings from school staff about his crisis.
In Gray's case, police had interviewed him and his son a year before the shooting about online threats to commit a school shooting. Gray admitted then that he owned guns accessible to his son and that they often went shooting together. Seven months later, he bought his son a rifle as a Christmas gift. Gray was convicted on all 29 charges, including second-degree murder, and faces up to 180 years in prison when sentenced in July.
Legal experts say these prosecutions could deter parents from being careless with guns. 'The goal is to change parents' behaviour directly,' said Nila Bala, a law professor at UC Davis. 'Children will factor in their parents' legal risk when thinking through their own actions.' Sam Levy of Everytown for Gun Safety added that such cases hold people accountable for enabling violence and demonstrate consequences to the wider world.
