Apalachee School Shooting Suspect Hid Rifle In Backpack: GBI

WINDER, GA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Thursday shed new light into the deadly Sept. 4 shooting at Apalachee High School, including how the accused gunman smuggled a rifle into the school.

The GBI said 14-year-old Colt Gray hid an assault-style rifle in his backpack before opening fire more than a week ago at Apalachee, killing two students and two teachers. The rifle was unable to be broken down, the GBI said.

Eight students and a teacher were injured during the shooting, with the GBI noting seven of them were shot.

Colt Gray, who was a student at Apalachee, asked a teacher if he could go and speak to someone in the front office - which the teacher permitted, the GBI said. Colt Gray, with his belongings, went into a restroom and hid from teachers, the GBI said.

He later retrieved the rifle and started shooting, the GBI said. Authorities have not indicated a motive in the fatal shooting.

First responders arrived on the scene around 10:30 a.m. when two resource officers, Brandon King and Donovan Boyd, located Gray. The teenage boy then surrendered, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said at a previous news conference.

The shooting claimed the lives of Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, both 14, and teachers 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie, authorities said in the past.

It was later revealed that Gray was given the rifle as a gift, per media reports.

Colt Gray was charged on suspicion of four murder counts while his father, Colin Gray, is facing several charges that include murder in connection with the shooting, authorities said.

WSB-TV reported Gray's mother, Marcee Gray, previously attempted to seek inpatient treatment for her son in an Athens facility. She said her son agreed to the treatment, the TV outlet reported.

On Wednesday, she penned an apology letter to Apalachee, WSB-TV reported.

“I grieve and cry with you. My heart breaks for the 2 teachers who gave their lives while in the service of teaching and protecting our children. We are all in a living nightmare right now, and I will personally never forgive myself,” she wrote in the letter, WSB-TV reported.

Marcee Gray went on to say her son was not a monster and was rather "quiet, thoughtful, caring, funny and extremely intelligent,” the news outlet reported.

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Georgia Leaders Address Gun Violence

Since the tragic mass shooting, Georgia leaders have called for action, and the topic of gun violence has once again been brought to the forefront.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, on Thursday said state lawmakers will ponder new policies that will benefit the mental health of students, help with detecting guns and urge people to safely store guns, the Associated Press reported. The considerations are set to be made next year.

Burns announced his proposals in a letter to the Georgia House Republican Caucus, 11Alive reported. The House speaker additionally requested maximizing penalties for people who make terroristic threats against schools, the news outlet reported.

"This is far from an exhaustive list," Burns said in the letter, obtained by 11Alive. "As the 2025 session approaches, we will continue having conversations about implementing common-sense policies that take steps toward securing the safety and well-being of Georgia’s students.

"As the facts of this tragic incident are further revealed, it will be our priority to ensure we properly examine every reasonable idea and solution to protect and defend the most vulnerable among us — our children — while also protecting the right and privilege of our citizens to protect their families and property."

Democratic leaders are asking for universal background checks, a mandate to safely lock up guns and a “red flag” law letting the state temporarily take guns from someone in crisis, the Associated Press reported.

"We have prioritized making significant investments in mental health and school safety funding - and while there will be a time and place for policy discussions, our sole focus right now remains on surrounding these students, teachers and families with our love and support," Burns previously tweeted shortly after the shooting.

Rep. Dr. Michelle Au, D-GA, supported Burns in his measure to seek change.

"Many own guns to keep our family safe," she tweeted Thursday. "The key point of safe storage legislation is the responsibility we have to keep our families safe from guns."

Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-GA, on Thursday hosted "Youth Under Fire: Addressing Gun Violence in Our Communities," a conference Warnock said brought together experts, advocated and survivors to speak on gun violence.

"A week ago, gun violence took the lives of two students in Georgia," Warnock tweeted. "Young people deserve so much better than this."

He previously criticized what he apparently views as a lack of action to protect children.

"Mass shootings as routine aren’t the cost of freedom, they’re the cost of blind obstinance. We don’t have to live this way. If we refuse to act while our children are dying, and in a moment when no one is safe from rampant gun violence, then shame on us," Warnock tweeted in the past.

He followed up with the later tweets:

"Politicians need to realign their values. If we can’t protect our children, what are we doing?"

"Rampant, routine gun violence is not a fact of life—it’s a fact of American life. And we Americans have to ask ourselves, why does this keep happening here? This is not a debate between those who believe in the 2nd Amendment and those who do not. We’re better than this."