Mother Testifies She Urged Father to Secure Guns Before Georgia School Shooting
In a dramatic courtroom testimony, Marcee Gray revealed she had urged her estranged husband, Colin Gray, to lock up firearms in their home northeast of Atlanta before their son carried out a deadly school shooting. The testimony came during the second week of Colin Gray's trial, where he faces 29 criminal counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Chaotic Family Life and Warning Signs
Marcee Gray described a turbulent household marked by frequent arguments, financial struggles, and constant relocations. She testified that she specifically asked Colin Gray to secure the guns by locking them in his truck to prevent their son, Colt Gray, from accessing them. "They need to be locked somewhere," she told the jury in Winder, Georgia. "Initially he said he would."
Prosecutors argue that Colin Gray should be held accountable for gifting his son a semiautomatic rifle as a Christmas present, despite alleged threats and warning signs of the boy's mental instability. Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, faces 55 counts, including murder in the deaths of four people and 25 counts of aggravated assault.
The Apalachee High School Tragedy
The shooting occurred on September 4, 2024, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Investigators stated that Colt Gray boarded a school bus with the rifle concealed in his book bag, its barrel wrapped in poster board. He later left his second-period class, emerged from a bathroom with the weapon, and opened fire in a classroom and hallways, killing two teachers and two students and wounding several others.
Last week, students provided harrowing accounts of the attack, describing through tears how they saw a classmate lying in a pool of blood and feared for their own lives after being shot during an algebra class.
Prosecution's Case and Defense Arguments
Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith emphasized in his opening statement that Colin Gray not only gave his son the gun but also continued to purchase accessories, including "a lot of ammunition." An investigator testified that Colin Gray was aware of his son's deteriorating mental health and had sought counseling services weeks before the shooting, writing, "We have had a very difficult past couple of years and he needs help. Anger, anxiety, quick to be volatile. I don't know what to do."
However, Smith contended that Colin Gray never followed through on concerns about admitting his son to an inpatient facility. In contrast, defense attorney Brian Hobbs argued that the planning and timing of the shooting "were hidden by Colt Gray from his father," stating, "That's the difference between tragedy and criminal liability. You cannot hold someone criminally responsible for failing to predict what was intentionally hidden from them."
Broader Context and Family Dynamics
This case is part of a national trend where prosecutors are attempting to hold parents responsible for fatal shootings committed by their children. Testimony revealed that Colt Gray maintained a "shrine" to Nikolas Cruz, the convicted perpetrator of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, on a wall next to his computer at home.
Marcee Gray, who is not charged in connection with the shooting, said she believed her son's interest in Cruz was similar to her own fascination with true crime documentaries. She also recounted a disturbing incident where Colt joked about using a tactical vest his father bought him to complete his "school shooter outfit," claiming he said it in a laughing manner.
The parents were separated in the months leading up to the shooting, with Colt primarily residing with his father during that period. The trial continues as the court examines the complex issues of gun safety, parental oversight, and criminal liability in the wake of this tragic event.
