Name mix-up complicates search for shooting at Apalachee High

ATLANTA – The shooting at Apalachee High School changed CHEE Nation forever.

On September 4, authorities said, 14-year-old Colt Gray asked to be excused from class, went to the bathroom, later emerged, and carried out one of the deadliest school shootings ever seen in Georgia.

“Now we're in the 'why?'” said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said Colt Gray enrolled in high school on August 14.

Exactly three weeks later, Sheriff Smith said Colt Gray's mother called the high school the same morning of the shooting.

“I'm not aware of her saying he was going to do it or that he was planning to do it, but there were some messages back and forth,” Sheriff Smith explained.

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Marcee Gray said her son allegedly texted her and his father that Wednesday morning saying, “I'm sorry” and “It's not your fault.”

“She called; she spoke to someone at the school and we were actively looking for him,” Sheriff Smith said.

The student population at Apalachee High School is approximately 2,000 students.

Sheriff Smith explained, “The eerie coincidence is that Colt Gray sits in class next to another student with almost the same name.”

This morning, none of the Greys were in the classroom.

Sheriff Smith confirmed to 11Alive that sometime around 9 a.m., Colt Gray requested to be excused from class to speak with the counselor. At that point, Barrow County School Resource Officers were notified to begin searching for Colt; they were unaware that he had already left.

“When we got to the classroom, they (the SROs) asked, 'Where's Colt Gray?' He's not here, he went to the bathroom,” Sheriff Smith said.

He explained that the student with almost the same name was the one the SROs were looking for at the time, as the students in the classroom thought. Keep in mind that Colt Gray had only been enrolled three weeks earlier, and the GBI said he had already missed nine days of school.

RELATED: When do classes start again at Apalachee High? | 11alive.com

The sheriff said Colt Gray had only started school a few days before the shooting and so not many people knew him.

Sheriff Smith said the SROs left the classroom and went to the restroom, where they met the other Gray with a similar name.

“He's coming out. How can I help you?” asked Sheriff Smith.

He added: “He (a student with a similar name) complies. We go to the front and while we are trying to figure out what is going on, the shooting starts.”

Sheriff Smith said the shooting lasted less than a minute. SROs confronted Colt Gray in the hallway. At that point, Sheriff Smith said, Colt surrendered to officers and was taken into custody.

Hours after the shooting, 11Alive stood outside Colt Gray's home, where he lived with his father, Colin Gray, and his two younger siblings. Multiple agencies were on the scene for hours, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Sheriff Smith said “quite a bit” of evidence was collected at the house.

And on Thursday, the GBI announced the arrest of Colin Gray. Many were quite surprised when it was announced that he was charged with second-degree murder, among other things.

Sheriff Smith confirmed that Colin legally purchased the firearm Colt Gray used in the school shooting.

He said he fully supports the Second Amendment but also believes in responsible gun use.

Sheriff Smith said Colin did not securely lock his firearms in the home he shared with Colt Gray and his younger children.

“I think Colin's actions in making this weapon available to Colt Gray is the reason we are here today,” Sheriff Smith said.

The sheriff praised his district attorney for pursuing the charges he believed should be brought in the case.

“I remain steadfast and know that we are in uncharted territory in many ways, but I applaud our DA,” he said.

Regarding the public's reaction, Sheriff Smith said, “I don't want to send a message, I don't want to send a message at all, but I want to give gun owners a sense of responsibility.”

11Alive asked the sheriff if Colt told them why he allegedly shot.

The sheriff replied, “According to what my people say, not really, not really.” He said, “We may never know.”