Colt Gray update: Suspect's mother is “so sorry,” victims' fundraiser raises nearly $500,000

Colt Gray's mother has written a letter to the families of those killed in the Apalachee High School shooting as fundraising efforts for the victims continue to grow.

Teenager Gray is said to have opened fire at the school in Barrow County, Georgia, last Wednesday, killing two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as teachers Richard Aspinwall (39) and Cristina Irimie (53).

His mother, Marcee Gray, wrote a letter to the families saying she was “sorry from the bottom of my heart.” [her] Heart” and insisted that Colt Gray, also 14, was “not a monster.”

“To the parents and families of those affected by the tragic events at Apalachee High School, I want to express my deepest regret,” she wrote in the letter.

She said: “If I could replace Mason and Christian, I would do it without hesitation. As a mother, I have always said that the loss of one of my children would be the one thing I could not get over. I feel all your pain and despair. I mourn and cry with you.”

Marcee Gray added that her “heart breaks for the two teachers who gave their lives in service to educating and protecting our children.”

She continued: “We are all in a living nightmare right now and I personally will never forgive myself for what happened.

“My son Colt is not a monster. He is my oldest baby. He is calm, thoughtful, caring, funny and extremely intelligent. Please pray for him and the rest of our family as I pray for all of you every moment of the day.”

Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of murder and will be tried as an adult. His father, Colin Gray, has been charged with knowingly giving Colt Gray access to an AR-15 rifle. He is charged with four counts of manslaughter, two counts of first-degree murder and eight counts of child abuse.

This news comes as donations continue to be raised for the victims' families, with the total amount raised approaching $500,000.

While students at Apalachee High School have not yet returned to class, many students in Barrow County went back to school on Tuesday.

Mother Shonderi Williams told the Associated Press that she had a nervous breakdown in her bathroom when she heard that her 8-year-old daughter was afraid to go back to school.

“I try to teach them that I'm here for them. I'm their protector. There's no one who's going to hurt them,” she said. “I can't be with them 24/7, so I know what I told my child is a lie. But I have to go out there and be a strong mother to them.”