Suspected Georgia school shooter Colt Gray appeared in shackles in court Friday — followed almost immediately by his crying dad, who was told he could face up to 180 years for getting the boy an AR-style rifle.
The 14-year-old baby-faced accused gunman, dressed in green prison clothes, responded with only two words — “Yes, sir” — when asked basic questions by a Barrow County Court judge during his brief bond hearing.
Colt is being charged as an adult with four counts of murder over Wednesday’s rampage at Apalachee High School outside Atlanta, where two students and two teachers were killed.
The teen, who is being held at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, stared straight ahead, with his shaggy blond hair obscuring his face, as the judge initially informed him he could face the death penalty if convicted.
Colt Gray appears in court Friday. via REUTERS
Colin Gray, 54, the father of the shooter, is hauled into court after his son. Getty Images
The dad cried in court. AP
Colt, who did not enter a plea, was escorted from the court with his wrists and ankles shackled after his lawyer declined to seek bail.
But Judge Currie Mingledorff quickly hauled Colt back to the court to correct himself, telling the youth he wouldn’t be eligible for the death penalty given he is younger than 18 years old and, instead, could face life in prison.
The boy’s father, Colin Gray, 54, appeared in the same courtroom moments later after being slapped with a slew of charges Thursday, including ones tied to supplying the AR-15-style rifle allegedly used in the massacre.
The father, dressed in a gray-striped jail uniform, closed his eyes and rocked back and forth in his seat as the judge informed him faced up to 180 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He sniffled and appeared to cry at times during the proceeding.
Gray, whose lawyer also declined to seek bail, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Colt, 14, was charged as an adult with four counts of murder. via REUTERS
The grief-stricken relatives of at least one the victims were seated in the first row of the courtroom for the back-to-back hearings. One of them tearfully clutched a stuffed Mickey Mouse.
Before the hearings got under way, courthouse employees set out boxes of tissue along the courtroom benches.
The teen is accused of killing four and wounding nine others when he went on a rampage at his school in Winder on Wednesday morning.
The tragic Georgia high school shooting: Here’s what’s known so far
He was taken into custody just minutes after allegedly gunning down his victims and later told investigators, “I did it” while being interrogated, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told CNN.
Investigators haven’t yet released a motive for the bloodshed.
They are scrambling to piece together if there were any additional warning signs after authorities first paid a visit to the boy’s home in May 2023 over a school shooting threat he’d made on social media, investigators said.
The teen, who is currently being held without bond in Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, stared straight ahead during the brief hearing. AP
Gray was slapped with multiple charges Thursday. Reuters
Barrow County Superior Court Judge Currie Mingledorff II speaks Friday during a first appearance of Colt at the Barrow County courthouse for the Wednesday shooting at Apalachee High School. AP
Police investigate the scene from the tragic Georgia mass shooting, as the killer’s gun still lay in the hallway. Storyful
The father had allegedly bought the AR-style assault rifle for Colt as a Christmas gift just months after cops interviewed the pair over the online threats, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
“His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said of Gray.
His son has been charged with four counts of murder over the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as the two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66db761dd8b34d04aa086bb9fa2b8020&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2024%2F09%2F06%2Fus-news%2Fgeorgia-high-school-shooter-suspect-colt-gray-arrives-in-court-after-bloody-assault-killed-4%2F&c=6886886153372943064&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-06 08:43:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.