The Apalachee High School shooting suspect meticulously planned the attack and had a shrine to previous school shooters, agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) testified Wednesday during a preliminary hearing for the teen’s father.
A Barrow County grand jury returned separate indictments for the 14-year-old suspect and his father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, on Thursday. New charges against the teen include four counts of malice murder, 22 counts of aggravated assault, and 18 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. Colin Gray was indicted on 29 counts total, including two counts of involuntary manslaughter, three counts of reckless conduct, and second-degree cruelty to children. Both are scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 21.
Killed in the shooting were Mason Schermerhorn, 14, Christian Angulo, 14, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Nine others were injured.
Apalachee Shooting Suspect Had Shrine, Detailed Notebook
The agents provided new testimony about the events leading up to and during the shooting. One agent testified that investigators discovered what they described as a “shrine of sorts” behind the suspect’s computer desk at his home. It included about 15 photographs and newspaper articles about past school shootings and school shooters, including a picture of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School gunman who killed 17 people in 2018.
Another agent testified that the suspect’s mother, Marcee Gray, had expressed concerns about her son’s growing obsession with guns. During an interview with the GBI, Gray recounted conversations with her son in which he referenced the Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary shootings, according to Yahoo. Gray also said her son had asked his father to buy him a shooter’s mask so that he can “finish his school shooter outfit.” Gray also told investigators that her son had been experiencing increasingly frequent panic attacks in the month leading up to the shooting.
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GBI agents also testified that investigators found a notebook belonging to the suspect that included drawings of a hallway and a classroom where part of the attack occurred. One agent testified that a second notebook found by investigators included a drawing of a rifle “with what appears to be ammunition coming out of it and then the word, ‘Kids.'” The notebooks also depicted stick figures with wounds and an estimated death and injury count.
“Under the classroom column is written, ’15-17 killed. Injured? 2-3,” an agent testified. “Further down the page is written, ‘Classroom 2: 3-5 killed. Injured 2-3.’ And in parentheses off to the side it says, ‘Surprised if I make it this far.'”
In a notebook recovered by investigators in his bedroom, the teen also allegedly told his family, “It’s not your fault” and begged for forgiveness, writing, “It’s out of my control.” He also described himself as being “depressed,” “delirious,” and “eager to die.”
Father Bought Suspect Ammunition, Tactical Vest
In the days following the shooting, Colin Gray told investigators he purchased the semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting as a Christmas gift for his son despite him expressing he was struggling with his mental health. Seven months prior, Gray and his son were interviewed by local law enforcement after the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received several anonymous tips that the teen allegedly made threats about shooting up a middle school.
During Wednesday’s hearing, agents testified Gray also purchased his son a tactical vest as well as a bore sight and ammunition for the rifle. Gray also reportedly told an investigator that his son had become increasingly violent with him and his mother in the months leading up to the shooting.
During their investigation, the GBI learned that Gray had received a text from his daughter the day of the shooting saying her middle school was on lockdown. Shortly after, Gray said he went home and turned on the news where he saw reports of a shooting at his son’s school. He said he then went to his son’s room to look for the AR-15-style-rifle he had bought him but he couldn’t find it. Georgia does not have state laws that require guns to be locked or stored unloaded inside a secure container or safe.
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An agent testified Wednesday that Gray had been in touch with school staff in the weeks leading up to the shooting about his son’s need for counseling. He reportedly sent in a form after a campus official expressed concern but failed to follow up and ensure his son made appointments. He also reportedly did not follow up with counseling services offered by an outside organization. When ask about it, Gray allegedly said it was a matter of getting his insurance sorted out.
The same agent also testified that Gray did not seem surprised when he was informed it was his son who had allegedly carried out the shooting and that he did not immediately express remorse.
GBI Provide Apalachee School Shooting Timeline
The first agent on the stand provided a detailed timeline of the day of the shooting. The suspect allegedly concealed the weapon inside a tri-fold cardboard poster inserted in his backpack. The school does not have metal detectors, authorities said. During his second period, the teen reportedly pulled out a black notebook or binder and placed it on his desk and also used his phone briefly. Around 9:45 a.m., he allegedly left his classroom to see the school counselor. He took his backpack with him but left behind the notebook, which was later recovered by crime scene technicians.
The suspect then went to a restroom and entered one of the stalls. Items associated with the teen were later discovered in the bathroom, the agent said. The teen left the bathroom a short time later wearing yellow gloves and carrying the backpack with the posterboard “wrapped” around his waist. He went back to his second-period class and knocked to get back in since the doors lock automatically. A student went to let him in but noticed he had a gun and backed away. The student told the teacher, who initiative a lockdown procedure.
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The suspect then entered a nearby classroom and started shooting for seven seconds, the agent testified. Several people were injured and one student was killed. The teen then started running towards a set of bathrooms and fatally shot a teacher. He then turned towards another hallway and fired multiple shots at two coaches, killing one and injuring the other.
Surveillance video then reportedly shows the teen turn back toward the hall he came from where he began trying to access other classrooms. He then encountered another student in the hallway and fatally shot him. Several seconds later, two school resource officers entered the hallway and ordered the teen to drop his gun. He complied and was taken into custody.
