US Georgia high school shooting suspect appears in court

New York, Sep 7 (IANS) The 14-year-old suspect of a campus shooting in the US state of Georgia appeared in court for a brief hearing.

The shooting, which took place on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, left four people killed, including two students and two teachers. Nine others, including eight students and one teacher, were wounded in the shooting as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Colt Gray, the shooter and a student at the school, could face life in prison if convicted on any of the four counts of felony murder filed against him, Judge Currie Mingledorff told him during the court appearance on Friday morning.

Gray will be tried as an adult, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Gray’s father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, was arrested on multiple charges on Thursday.

He knowingly allowed his son, Colt, to have the weapon, according to the GBI.

The investigation into the shooting is still active and ongoing, said the GBI.

Colin Gray is being charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the GBI said on Thursday when the agency announced his arrest.

The 14-year-old shooting suspect has been charged with four counts of felony murder.

GBI Director Chris Hosey said at a news conference on Thursday night that the charges against Colin Gray stem from “knowingly allowing his son to possess a weapon”.

Georgia law prohibits minors from possessing handguns, but there is no minimum age to possess a rifle or shotgun in Georgia.

During a brief court hearing on Friday morning, Judge Currie Mingledorff II told Colin Gray that he faced up to 180 years in prison if he was convicted on all counts.

The judge also advised him of his rights, and the father said, “Yes, sir,” in response to some questions from the judge.

District Attorney Brad Smith, whose district includes the Barrow County high school where the shooting happened, didn’t rule out whether the father would face additional charges as the investigation continued.

Smith said more charges would be filed at some point against Gray’s son for the victims who survived the attack.

The teen, a student at Apalachee High School, allegedly killed four people, two students and two teachers, when he opened fire at the school in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning. Nine others were wounded and hospitalised, but they were all expected to survive and “make a full recovery,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said on Thursday.

Hospital officials said on Thursday that at least seven of those nine patients had been treated and released, and at least one other remained hospitalised in stable condition.

Police and federal agents were investigating if the gun used in the shooting, described by officials as an AR-style weapon, was purchased by the teen’s father as a gift for his son in December 2023, according to four federal law enforcement sources close to the investigation.

In May of 2023, the suspect and his father were both interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s office after the FBI received tips about online posts threatening a school shooting, the FBI said in a statement on Wednesday night.

At the time, investigators didn’t have enough evidence for an arrest or enough probable cause “to take any additional law enforcement action,” the FBI added.

Local police records obtained by a US media outlet report indicate the alleged shooter’s parents were going through a divorce at the time. His mother took custody of two other children in the divorce while the suspect stayed with his father, the records show.

Schools in Barrow County are closed for the rest of the week following the shooting.

–IANS

int/khz