Colin Gray faces 29 charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, and second-degree child cruelty.

On Monday, the trial of Colin Gray, father of Colt Gray, began in Georgia after he was accused of allowing his son access to the weapons he used in a deadly school shooting in September 2024.

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Colt Gray, then 14, opened fire with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at Apalachee High School in Winder, killing two teachers, two students, and wounding nine others. At the age of 16, he faces 55 felony charges, including intentional homicide, and will be tried as an adult.

The investigation revealed that his father purchased the weapon as a Christmas gift in 2023, along with ammunition, an extended magazine, and a tactical vest, despite warnings about his son’s behavior.

Colin Gray faces 29 charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, and second-degree child cruelty, though he has pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

District Attorney Brad Smith clarified that the case is not intended to hold parents responsible in general, but rather to prosecute Gray for allowing his son access to weapons despite prior warnings.

The prosecution plans to present testimony from family members, survivors, and mental health experts. The prosecution maintains that Gray knew of his son’s obsession with school shootings, especially the Parkland shooting in 2018.

The purchase of the gun occurred months after Colt was investigated for online threats of school shootings, which led to questioning of him and his father and ultimately to Colin Gray’s arrest.

Gray is the third parent charged in the U.S. for responsibility in school shootings. Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted in 2024 for allowing their son Ethan to carry out an attack in Michigan in 2021.

teleSUR: JP

Source: EFE

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