Difficult family life of the suspected Apalachee High School shooter and possible warning signs

BARROW COUNTY, Georgia. – New information has emerged about Colt Gray, a ninth-grader accused of opening fire at Apalachee High School on Wednesday morning, killing two teachers and two students and wounding nine others. The details shed new light on possible warning signs that were overlooked before the tragic events.

The FOX 5 I-Team reviewed public records and obtained a recording of an interview between Colt Gray, his father Colon Gray, and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. The interview took place after the FBI received a tip about a threat to shoot at a school allegedly made via a gaming app in 2023.

Investigators: “Do you have weapons in the house?

Colin Gray: “I do. I do.”

Investigators: “Accessible to him?”

Colin: “They are. I mean, there's nothing loaded there, but they're down.”

Investigators: “OK.”

Colin: “We actually do a lot of shooting, we do a lot of deer hunting, he shot his first deer this year.”

The details that have come to light paint a disturbing picture of a broken family life. According to police and court records, Colt Gray's home situation was turbulent. Colt lived with his father, while his two younger siblings lived with their mother, Marcee Gray. Last year, Marcee Gray was arrested for scratching her husband's truck. During the arrest, officers found methamphetamine, fentanyl and a glass pipe in her possession. She was sentenced to 46 days in jail.

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In another case, Jackson County Sheriff's investigators visited the Grays' home after the FBI received a tip about the threat at school. Colt, then 13, reportedly denied making the threats at the time.

During the interview, his father admitted there were guns in the house, but stated that they were not loaded. Colin Gray described going hunting with his son and explained how he tried to encourage Colt to spend more time outdoors and less time playing video games.

“I don't know, I don't know anything about him saying that shit. I'm going to be mad as hell if he did that. And then all the guns will disappear. And he won't have access to them anymore. You know, I'm trying to be honest with you, I'm trying to teach him about firearms and safety and how to do all that and get him interested in the outdoors,” Colin Gray told investigators in the same interview.

Although authorities could not confirm the tip, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office has reportedly instructed local schools to monitor Colt Gray. An email obtained by FOX 5 shows a sheriff's captain informing the FBI, “We have informed area schools and will be monitoring this individual.”

However, Colt later moved with his father to another district and attended Apalachee High School in Barrow County. It remains unclear whether the warning from Jackson County was relayed to Colt's new school or what “monitoring” would have meant in this situation.

Colt Gray is charged with four counts of murder.

Colin Gray has now been charged with four counts of manslaughter, two counts of premeditated murder and eight counts of child abuse.