Georgia high school shooting: Bodycam footage released of 2023 interview with father, suspected school shooter
Authorities in Georgia have released the bodycam footage of the May 2023 interview with Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies and the alleged Apalachee High School shooter and his father.
Jackson County, Georgia, sheriff’s officers spoke face-to-face with the boy who is now charged with felony murder in the deaths of four at Apalachee High School in Winder. The public defender representing both Colin and Colt Gray did not return Fox News’ request for comment.
The footage reveals the sheriff’s officers’ interactions from May 21, 2023, when suspect Colt Gray was 13 years old, after being tipped off by the FBI about a threat on the messaging app Discord, popular with some video gamers, to shoot up a middle school.
Police can be seen knocking on the home of Gray and are greeted by a startled Colin Gray, who is in his underwear and a t-shirt.
Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, speaks to police in Georgia in May 2023. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office)
The officers explain that they are following a complaint, adding that they went to his old address first, and Colin asks if he can get dressed before they start the interview.
Colin then reappears dressed in clothes, apologizes for the delay, and says he was watching a golf tournament as he opens a drink and police ask him if he has a son.
As the officers continue to explain the reason for their visit and ask Colin about his son, he warns that Colt is going to get “all red-face” when they question him.
When the police begin questioning Colin, he shared more about Gray’s home life and the accusation, saying this visit was “bulls—” and a terrorist threat.
“He’s going through a lot…very difficult for him to go to school and not get picked on,” Colin explained. “[Colt’s] gone through a lot.”
Colin stays calm while explaining Colt’s history to the officers and shares that he has had a rough time. He adds that he and Colt’s mom got divorced and that they had been evicted.
“He struggled at first with the separation. I’ve been taking him to school. He goes to Jefferson Middle school. He’s been doing really good,” Colin explained.
The officer acknowledges the severity of the visit and Colin agrees and says that Colt “knows how serious it is, trust me.”
“[Colt] just wants us to have a simple life. All that like, he should be excited about getting into 8th grade. It just was very difficult for him to go to school and not get picked on by, you know, it went from one thing to another to, you know, he was talking to the couple friends he has,” said Gray.
Colin Gray told authorities that weapons were accessible in his home, but were not loaded. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office)
Colin claims he’s been up to the school multiple times, blames it on other kids touching his son and says Colt wanted to move out of the school district.
Colin then claims he keeps getting picked on and talks about the importance of gun safety.
“Let me ask you this – do you have any weapons in the house?” the officer asks.
“I do,” Colin says.
“Are they accessible,” the officer then asks.
Colt Gray, charged as an adult with four counts of murder, sits in the Barrow County courthouse during his first appearance on Friday, Sept. 6, following the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
“They are…I mean there’s nothing loaded, but they are…we do a lot of shooting, we do a lot of deer hunting. He shot his first deer this year,” Colin says. “Like I’m pretty much in shock…I’m p—ed off to be honest with you.”
“I’m a little taken back by the whole thing, but I can tell you this, I take that very serious and so does he, as a matter of fact,” Colin says.
“I don’t know anything about him saying s— like that. And I’m going to be mad as hell if he did, and then all the guns will go away and they won’t be accessible to him,” Colin continues. “You know, I’m trying to be honest. I’m trying to teach him about firearms and safety and how to do it all and get him an interest in the outdoors.”
“Get him away from the video game,” the officer responds.
“Yeah. Exactly. Right. That’s the best. The God honest truth is, the picture on my phone is him with blood on his cheeks when he shot his first deer. It’s just the greatest day ever,” Colin says. “So sure, he knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do and how to use them and not use them.”
“So it’s kind of a little bit of a shock. So whatever y’all are telling him, please instill in him what if this is whatever or wherever some come from is no joke. No, like it’s no joke,” Colin continued.
“We wouldn’t be here,” the officer said.
APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT COLT GRAY AND FATHER APPEAR IN COURT FOR SEPARATE HEARINGS
Colin Gray, 54, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, 14, enters the Barrow County courthouse for his first appearance, on Friday, Sept. 6, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
“No, I know, I know, and I’m telling you right now we talk about it quite a bit. All the school shootings, things that happen. Yeah, I hear you getting picked on at school. He is. He’s getting picked on at school. And. Is everything okay? That’s why I keep going up there. No. You know, because you just never you never really know. And I don’t want anything to happen to him, so. Yeah. Yeah,” Colin finished.
Colt then joins the officers on the porch, dressed in a blue t-shirt and sweatpants with a blue hat on.
Colin tells his son “these are good dudes, they’ll just tell ya what’s going on.”
Colt keeps his hands in his pockets, appearing fidgety, while answering the officers’ questions. He avoids eye contact with the officers while swearing up and down that he did not make a threat to shoot up the school and even states “they must have misheard somebody else.”
The officer seems to take Colt at his word, and they even share a laugh about people lying to police.
The suspected shooter was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student. (The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities identified Colt Gray, now 14, as the shooter who killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School. Gray surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody following the rampage. He is being tried as an adult.
Colt’s father, Colin Gray, 54, has also been charged in connection with the school shooting. He is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Georgia is one of 42 states nationwide that holds parents criminally responsible on behalf of their children.
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Authorities claimed that Colin knew and allowed his son Colt to have access to his firearms in the household ahead of Wednesday’s shooting.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
