Expert: Investigators in Georgia school massacre focus on internet history and past of 14-year-old suspect

A law enforcement expert spoke out following the tragic mass shooting at a small high school in the US state of Georgia that left two students and two teachers dead and nine others injured on Wednesday.

Matthew Fagiana, a retired police sergeant and law enforcement consultant, told Fox News Digital that officials began the investigation by focusing on the 14-year-old suspect's past and motive.

“Things like the timeline of the incident. A chronological history of the suspect leading up to the shooting, a deep look into the suspect's past to uncover things like interactions with victims, the presence of any evidence of violent behavior, statements or social media posts that could help him develop a motive, and recent internet history,” he said.

“And of course this is just the tip of the iceberg of the investigation,” he added.

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Fagiana noted that authorities, including the FBI's Atlanta field office and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, were searching the crime scene at Apalachee High School to create an “accurate picture” of the suspect's path through the school.

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“I can only assume the crime scene at the school is pretty large,” he said. “Crime scenes like that require very careful investigation and evidence collection – things like mapping evidence locations and spent shell casings. They will be able to reconstruct the crime scene and show an accurate picture of how the suspect came in and how he moved during the shooting.”

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The 14-year-old suspect, Colt Gray, turned himself in to authorities and was taken into custody after the rampage. Authorities said he is expected to be charged as an adult with murder.

“An important aspect of apprehending the suspect will be the interviews he gives to investigators,” he said. “Whenever we have someone committing a mass murder, one of the most important questions we try to answer is 'why.' And since many school shooters either kill themselves or are killed by police to prevent further harm to others, the 'why' often remains elusive and we can only develop theories based on their past and the evidence they leave behind.”

“So when a suspect is taken into custody, law enforcement and experts at many levels hope to use his testimony and assessments as an opportunity to reduce the likelihood of such incidents happening again. I think most people would agree that individuals who commit these types of crimes are psychologically different from most of us – people who would never consider doing something like this.”

Fagiana emphasized the importance of the School Resource Officers (SROs) who took the student into custody, saying they “saved lives.”

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“While we don't yet know all the details of the response, it's safe to assume that the moment the SRO apprehended the suspect, more lives were likely saved,” he said. “There are examples across America of SROs being a very important addition to school safety and the safety of our children and teachers. They are an important piece of the puzzle in our efforts to reduce the likelihood of school shootings.”

He stressed the importance of taking into account the sensitive situation of the victims’ relatives and informing society.

“Supporting the families of the victims is our highest priority right now. They are suffering and need answers, and law enforcement will continue to advocate for their needs in the days to come,” Fagiana said.

“Law enforcement has a few communications goals at this stage. The most important is to inform and listen to the people in their community who are directly affected. And of course, the next step is to inform the media and the communities around the world who are monitoring the situation.

“Law enforcement will work hard to find a balance between providing the information they have and protecting the integrity of the investigation,” he said. “There is a man on trial for murder and their goal is to ensure that the information they are making public now does not jeopardize the successful prosecution of this suspect.”

The FBI and Jackson County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Source of the original article: Expert: Investigators in Georgia school massacre focus on internet history and past of 14-year-old suspect