The aunt of Colt Gray, the 14-year-old Apalachee High School student accused of killing four and injuring nine others in a school shooting, revealed that the teen had been “begging for help” before the tragic event. Annie Brown, Gray’s aunt, shared with The Washington Post that the boy had been “pleading for assistance from those around him” prior to the shooting. She expressed regret that “the adults around him did not provide the support he needed”, told The Washington Post.
Gray, who had been dealing with mental health issues, was arrested after a brief standoff with police at Barrow County High School in Winder, Georgia. He surrendered after the school’s resource officer gave him an ultimatum—surrender or risk being shot by officers. Gray was taken into custody and is currently being held at Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center. He is expected to face charges of murder and will be tried as an adult, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Director Chris Hosey.
Gray is accused of killing two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, as well as teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall. Nine others, including special education teacher David Phenix, were injured. Phenix underwent surgery and is currently in stable condition. The shooting took place at around 9:45 a.m., as described by eyewitnesses, including Gray’s classmates. One student, Lyela Sayarath, recalled seeing Gray leave their Algebra 1 class, only to return with a gun. Moments later, gunfire erupted in a nearby math class.
The FBI disclosed that Gray had been on their radar for over a year. In May 2023, the National Threat Operations Center flagged social media posts by Gray that contained threats and images of guns. Although the FBI interviewed Gray and his father, Gray denied the accusations, and his father assured authorities that the teen did not have unsupervised access to the family’s hunting guns.
Apalachee High School received a phone threat hours before the shooting, warning that it would be the first of five school shootings that day. Authorities have not confirmed whether Gray was responsible for the call, though he remains the sole suspect in the incident.
Gray’s aunt, Annie Brown, has faced backlash after sharing a series of social media posts defending her nephew. While she acknowledged the tragedy, stating that “the victims did not deserve this,” she also insisted, “I will not leave my nephew standing alone.” Brown emphasized that Gray had struggled with daily trauma, concluding, “Only hurt people hurt people.”
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith declined to speculate on Gray’s motive, saying, “I don’t know why it happened, and we may never know.” Gray reportedly used an AR-style weapon, a semi-automatic rifle commonly used in mass shootings. As the investigation continues, questions linger about what could have been done to prevent this tragic loss of life.