Colt Gray and the 2024 Apalachee High School Shooting
Overview
Colt Gray is accused of carrying out the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, on September 4, 2024. Gray was a 14-year-old freshman at the school when prosecutors allege that he entered the building with a semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on students and teachers. Four people were killed and nine others were injured during the attack.
The shooting occurred at Apalachee High School, located near Winder, Georgia, approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Emergency calls reporting an active shooter began at approximately 10:20 a.m. Students and teachers barricaded classroom doors, hid in corners and attempted to escape while gunfire was heard inside the building. School resource officers quickly confronted Gray, who allegedly surrendered after an officer ordered him to put down his weapon.
The September 4, 2024 Shooting
Investigators allege that Gray brought a SIG Sauer M400 rifle, an AR-style semiautomatic weapon, onto the Apalachee High School campus. According to evidence presented during court proceedings, Gray carried the rifle in a backpack and concealed it with a rolled-up poster or similar classroom material.
Authorities said Gray left his second-period classroom before returning with the weapon. When he attempted to reenter the classroom, a student reportedly noticed the firearm and refused to open the locked door. Gray then allegedly moved into a hallway and began firing at students and school employees.
The attack unfolded rapidly. Gunfire struck students and teachers in school hallways and near classrooms. Faculty members attempted to protect students, provide emergency medical assistance and secure rooms while the school’s emergency alert system notified law enforcement. Several victims suffered serious gunshot wounds, while others were injured during the confusion and evacuation.
Two students and two teachers were killed. Eight students and one teacher were injured, including seven people who were directly struck by gunfire. The wounded were transported to hospitals in Athens and Atlanta for treatment.
Victims Killed
- Mason Schermerhorn — Mason Schermerhorn was a 14-year-old student at Apalachee High School. He was killed during the shooting on September 4, 2024, inside the school near Winder, Georgia.
- Christian Angulo — Christian Angulo was a 14-year-old student at Apalachee High School. He was killed during the September 4, 2024 attack at the school in Barrow County, Georgia.
- Richard Aspinwall — Richard Aspinwall was a 39-year-old mathematics teacher and assistant football coach at Apalachee High School. He was fatally shot while at the school on September 4, 2024.
- Cristina Irimie — Cristina Irimie was a 53-year-old mathematics teacher at Apalachee High School. She was killed during the shooting on September 4, 2024, at the school near Winder, Georgia.
People Injured
Nine people survived with injuries. Authorities reported that the injured included eight students and one teacher. Seven of the survivors were wounded by gunfire, while two suffered other injuries connected to the attack and evacuation. Some of the injured were treated at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital, while more seriously wounded patients were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
Teacher David Phenix was among those wounded. Students and another faculty member reportedly assisted him after he was shot, applying pressure to his wounds and helping keep him alive until emergency personnel arrived. The identities of several injured students were not widely released because they were minors.
Gray’s Surrender and Arrest
School resource officers responded within minutes of the first emergency alerts. According to investigators, an officer confronted Gray inside the school and ordered him to surrender. Gray allegedly placed the rifle on the floor and gave himself up without a prolonged exchange of gunfire.
Gray was taken into custody and initially held at a juvenile detention facility. Although he was 14 years old at the time of the shooting, Georgia law permitted prosecutors to charge him as an adult because of the severity of the alleged offenses.
Evidence of Planning
Investigators have described the shooting as a planned attack rather than a spontaneous act. A notebook attributed to Gray was reportedly found in his classroom. According to testimony, it contained handwritten preparations for the shooting, a diagram of his second-period classroom and estimates of the number of people he believed he might kill or wound.
The notebook allegedly included detailed steps for preparing for the attack and suggested that Gray had considered how far he might progress through the school before being stopped. Prosecutors have cited these writings as evidence that the shooting was deliberate and premeditated.
Authorities also examined Gray’s electronic communications, internet activity, school history and reported fascination with previous mass shootings. These materials became part of the investigation into his alleged planning and possible motive. No single definitive motive has been publicly established.
Earlier Investigation of Online Threats
Gray had previously come to the attention of law enforcement in May 2023. The Federal Bureau of Investigation received anonymous information concerning online threats that included photographs of firearms and statements about committing a school shooting. The information was forwarded to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office because investigators believed the posts might be connected to Gray’s family.
A sheriff’s investigator interviewed Gray, who was 13 years old at the time, and his father, Colin Gray. Colt Gray denied making the threats. Colin Gray told investigators that firearms were kept in the home but said his son did not have unrestricted access to them. Authorities were unable to establish probable cause for an arrest or obtain sufficient evidence to identify the person responsible for the online account.
School officials were notified so that Gray could be monitored. However, he later transferred between schools and eventually enrolled at Apalachee High School. The previous investigation received renewed scrutiny after the September 2024 shooting.
The Rifle and Colin Gray’s Involvement
Investigators determined that the rifle allegedly used in the shooting had been provided to Colt Gray by his father, Colin Gray. Prosecutors said the weapon was given to the teenager as a Christmas present in December 2023, several months after the family had been questioned about the online school-shooting threats.
Authorities accused Colin Gray of allowing his son access to the rifle and ammunition despite warnings about the teenager’s behavior, emotional condition and previous threats. Colin Gray was arrested on September 5, 2024, one day after the shooting.
Colin Gray was prosecuted separately and charged with offenses that included second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children and reckless conduct. Prosecutors argued that his failure to secure the weapon and his decision to provide it to his son contributed directly to the deaths and injuries at Apalachee High School. In March 2026, a jury found Colin Gray guilty of the charges presented at his trial.
Charges Against Colt Gray
A Barrow County grand jury indicted Colt Gray in October 2024 on 55 criminal counts. The indictment included four counts of felony murder for the deaths of Mason Schermerhorn, Christian Angulo, Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie.
Gray was also charged with numerous counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and cruelty to children. The aggravated-assault charges included people who were wounded as well as students and employees who prosecutors alleged were placed directly in the line of fire.
Because Gray was younger than 18 when the killings occurred, he is not eligible for the death penalty under United States Supreme Court precedent. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could receive life imprisonment, potentially without the possibility of parole.
Legal Proceedings
Gray made an initial court appearance on September 6, 2024. The judge explained the murder charges and the possible punishments. Gray did not enter a plea during that first appearance. His attorneys later began reviewing the extensive physical, digital and psychological evidence gathered by investigators.
The case has involved questions concerning Gray’s mental condition, competency and ability to participate in his defense. Evaluations of a defendant’s mental health do not determine guilt or innocence but may affect whether court proceedings can continue and whether the defendant can understand the charges and assist his attorneys.
As of July 2026, the criminal case against Colt Gray remained pending. The accusations against him had not resulted in a final conviction, and he remained legally presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Community Impact
The killings devastated the Apalachee High School community and the surrounding Barrow County area. Classes were suspended while investigators processed the school and families attended vigils for the victims. Counselors and mental-health professionals were made available to students, faculty members and relatives affected by the violence.
Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie were remembered by students and colleagues for their dedication as educators. Aspinwall was also mourned by athletes and members of the school’s football program. Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo were remembered by their families and classmates as young students whose lives ended without warning during an ordinary school morning.
The attack prompted renewed national discussion about school security, emergency alert systems, firearm storage, online threats and parental responsibility. It also raised questions about how information involving a student’s earlier threats should be communicated when that student transfers between schools or moves into another law-enforcement jurisdiction.
Aftermath
Apalachee High School eventually resumed operations under increased security and with additional emotional support for students and staff. The building remained a place of mourning as the community attempted to recover from the deaths, injuries and trauma caused by the attack.
The prosecution of Colt Gray became one of the most closely watched juvenile mass-shooting cases in the United States. The separate prosecution of his father also became a significant case concerning whether a parent could be held criminally responsible for providing a firearm to a child after receiving warnings that the child might pose a danger.
The events of September 4, 2024, left four families grieving, nine survivors recovering from injuries and an entire school community confronting the lasting effects of violence. The criminal proceedings continue to examine Gray’s alleged preparation, access to the rifle and responsibility for the deaths of Mason Schermerhorn, Christian Angulo, Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie.
