The mother of the teenager accused of shooting two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school on Wednesday called the the school the morning before the attack and warned staff of an "extremely urgent situation,", Reuters reported, citing the "Washington Post".
Marci Gray, the mother of the suspected shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray, said she told a school official to find her son immediately, the newspaper reported. Transcripts of phone calls provided to the US Capital publication by a relative show a call to the "Appalachian" in Winder, Georgia around 9:50 a.m. local time, about 30 minutes before the attack began.
Gray declined to say what prompted her to call the school, but told The Washington Post that she shared it with law enforcement. She expressed sympathy for the relatives of the victims. families and remorse for her son's actions.
According to another student, a school administration official went to the suspected perpetrator's math class, but he was not in the room.
The Georgia State Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the case, referred all inquiries about this information to the Piedmont Judicial District District Attorney's office, where the case is being prosecuted. The prosecutor's office has not yet responded to a request for comment, notes Reuters.
Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of murder and will be tried as an adult. His father, Colin Gray, was also charged with murder, manslaughter and child cruelty.
The charges against the father are part of a new legal strategy aimed at holding accountable parents who have given access to firearms to minors who carry out assaults, according to Reuters. According to the prosecution, Colin Gray provided the weapon used in the attack.
In May 2023, investigators from a neighboring county spoke with Collin and Colt Gray regarding online threats to commit a school shooting. Colt Gray said he did not make the threats, but his father said his son did not have free access to his hunting rifles.
The investigation was dropped after investigators were unable to find evidence linking the father or son to the threats.