First picture of 14-year-old Colt Gray, suspect in Georgia school shooting

5 September 2024, 22:38

The 14-year-old suspected of killing four people in a shooting spree at a Georgia school has been photographed.

Police released the mug shot of 14-year-old Colt Gray, who is accused of killing two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta, on Wednesday.

Gray turned himself in when he was attacked by school resource officers at school, Barrow County police said.

Police have said they will not release any bodycam video or audio to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Nine other people were injured in the suspected school shooting.

The teenager was charged as an adult in the deaths of 14-year-old Apalachee High School students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as their teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said at a press conference.

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Armed with an assault rifle, the teenager allegedly pointed the weapon at students in a school hallway when classmates refused to open the door for him to return to his algebra classroom, classmate Lyela Sayarath said.

Colt and his father were questioned after the FBI received anonymous tips in May 2023 about online threats to commit an unspecified school shooting, the agency said in a statement.

The sheriff's office interviewed the then 13-year-old and his father, who said there were hunting rifles in the house, but the teenager did not have unsupervised access to them.

Local news outlets reported that police searched the teenager's family home in Bethlehem, Georgia, east of the high school on Wednesday.

“All the students who had to watch their teachers and classmates die, those who had to leave school limping, looked traumatised,” said Miss Sayarath.

“That’s the consequence of not taking control.”

President Biden said he was “mourned” by the tragic loss of life at what should have been a “joyful” return to school.

“What should have been a joyous back-to-school event in Winder, Georgia, has now become another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning to duck and take cover instead of learning to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal,” the president said in a statement.

“This is the worst nightmare for all of us and I want to express my sincere condolences and prayers to the families who have lost loved ones, to those injured and to those who continue to endure this tragic time,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said at a press conference.

“Today, pure evil happened,” added Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.

“Our thoughts are with the victims and families of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA,” wrote former President Donald Trump

“These beloved children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”