The mother of the 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people at a Georgia high school last week reportedly called the school that morning to warn them of “an extreme emergency” regarding the boy.
Marcee Gray reportedly called the school at about 9:50 a.m. on September 4 — about 30 minutes before Colt Gray started shooting, the Washington Post reported. Marcee Gray’s sister provided the post with screenshots of text messages she received from the boy’s mother.
“I was the one that notified the school counselor at the high school,” Marcee Gray said in the text messages. “I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find [my son] to check on him.”
The Post said the family’s shared phone plan shows the phone call, which lasted about 10 minutes.
Gray’s sister, Annie Brown, told the Post that a counselor told Marcee Gray that her son had been talking about a school shooting that morning. Marcee Gray contacted the Post after their initial story was published and confirmed the details but declined to provide details about what prompted her phone call. She said she had shared the information with law enforcement and called the shooting “absolutely horrific.”
Colt Gray reportedly left his Apalachee High School algebra class at about 9:45 a.m. that morning. Classmate Lyela Sayarath said that he returned several minutes later with a gun but the classroom door was locked, so he went to the next classroom and opened fire, killing teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, CrimeOnline reported. Eight other students and one teacher were wounded.
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified of shots fired at 10:20 a.m. A school resource officer confronted Gray, who surrendered and was taken into custody.
Colt Gray has been charged as an adult with four counts of murder. His father, 53-year-old Colin Gray, has also been charged, with two counts of second degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of cruelty to children. They are both being held without bail.
Colin Gray reportedly bought his son the AR-style rifle he used in the shooting for Christmas last year, just months after investigators questioned the boy about alleged threats of a school shooting made online.
The boy denied making the threats, and investigators could not substantiate the tip.
Family members also told the Post showing they had been in contact with the school about Colt Gray’s mental health a week before the shooting, discussing his reported “homicideal and suicidal thoughts.”
Neither the school nor law enforcement answered questions about any of those contacts.
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[Featured image: Left: Colin Gray enters the Barrow County courthouse for his first appearance, on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Right: Colt Gray/Barrow County Sheriff’s Office via AP]
