Georgia authorities today arrested the father of the suspect in the Appalachian High School shooting. A 14-year-old student, Colt Gray, who killed four people and wounded nine others, has been charged, Reuters reported, citing BTA.
"In coordination with District Attorney Brad Smith, the Georgia State Bureau of Investigation arrested 54-year-old Colin Gray in connection with the shooting at Appalachian High School. "Colin is the father of Colt Gray," the Bureau announced on the "X" social network.
The father and son were questioned by local investigators in neighboring Jackson County last year in connection with online threats of a mass school shooting, but at the time it was determined there was no reason to detain them, the FBI said Wednesday. .
During the investigation at the time, the father said he kept hunting weapons at home, but that his son did not have uncontrolled access to them, and Colt Gray denied making threats on the Internet, the FBI added.
Following his arrest today, the Colt Gray shooter's father, Colin, has been charged with manslaughter, second degree murder and child cruelty. All three charges stem from the father's failure to restrict his son's access to the weapons he owns, according to Reuters. The student himself, who committed the brutal mass murder, has been charged with four counts of premeditated murder.