Teenager charged in fatal Georgia high school shooting appears in court – The Irish News

The 14-year-old suspect in the Georgia high school shooting that left four people dead remains in custody after his attorney rejected a request for bail at a court hearing Friday.

After the hearing, Colt Gray, wearing khaki pants and a green shirt, was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs and leg irons.

The judge then called Colt Gray back into the courtroom to correct an earlier false statement that his crimes could be punishable by death. Because he is a minor, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

The judge also scheduled another hearing for December 4.

The hearing comes one day after his father was arrested for allowing his son to possess a gun.

According to arrest warrants obtained by the Associated Press, Colt Gray is accused of using a semi-automatic assault rifle to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, outside Atlanta.

Nine people were also injured in Wednesday's attack. Authorities have not given a motive or explained how Colt Gray got the gun or brought it to the school.

The teen's father, Colin Gray, 54, was charged Thursday in connection with the shooting, including manslaughter and first-degree murder, said Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“His charges are directly related to his son's actions and permission to possess a gun,” Hosey said. Colin Gray's first court date was also scheduled for Friday.

Before reporting on Colin Gray's arrest, the AP knocked on the door of a home where he lived and asked for comment on his son's arrest. Court records released early Friday did not indicate whether either man had an attorney ahead of the court hearings.

Colt Gray was charged as an adult with quadruple murder of Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo (both 14), Richard Aspinwall (39) and Cristina Irimie (53).

A neighbor remembered Mason as a young boy who was very curious. Mr. Aspinwall and Ms. Irimie were both math teachers, and Mr. Aspinwall also helped coach the school's soccer team. Ms. Irimie, who emigrated to the United States from Romania, volunteered at a local church where she taught dance classes.

Before Colt Gray's hearing at the Barrow County Courthouse, court staff placed boxes of tissues next to the courtroom benches, and relatives and community members gradually streamed into the courtroom Friday morning to begin the son and father's testimony.

A sheriff's report obtained Thursday shows the teenager denied threatening to carry out a school shooting last year when authorities questioned him about a threatening social media post.