Federal officials disclosed on Wednesday that the individual held responsible for a high school shooting in Georgia had been interrogated over a year prior by local law enforcement due to online school shooting threats he’d made. The suspect, 13-year-old Colt Gray, was brought to the attention of the authorities after multiple anonymous tips were sent to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center in May 2023 about threats posted on a gaming website that included images of firearms and unspecified plans of a school shooting.
According to the FBI’s Atlanta field office and local enforcement agencies, Jackson County’s sheriff’s office carried out an investigation, which involved interviewing both Gray and his father. Although the father admitted to having hunting guns at home, he assured the officers that his son didn’t have unrestricted access to the weapons. Colt Gray, on the other hand, rejected all accusations of making online threats.
Law enforcement bodies were briefed by Jackson County officials to continuously observe Gray, but it remains uncertain if Apalachee High School, where the suspect was a student and the attack occurred, was warned. The school is situated in Winder, Georgia, in nearby Barrow County.
The FBI statement indicated that there was insufficient evident basis for an arrest or further enforcement action at local, state or Federal levels. Jackson County’s sheriff, Janis G Mangum, later issued a statement that the threats on the gaming website couldn’t be validated despite rigorous investigations. Mangum also took to Facebook, warning residents about misleading posts circulating on social media.
Wednesday’s tragic incident at the high school near Atlanta resulted in the death of four people and injuries to at least nine others, with students seeking refuge in a football stadium nearby, as reported by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Officials revealed that Colt Gray will face murder charges as an adult, with two students and two teachers among the deceased.
Under the watchful Wednesday morning sun, a chilling incident unfolded at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. An armed chase marked the scene, as law enforcement officials descended upon the academic premises, while anxious parents flocked for information on the safety of their offspring.
The lethal assault was vehemently denounced by Kamala Harris, who categorised it as an absurd calamity. She decisively claimed that the time has come for gun violence — a plague afflicting our nation — to be addressed and eradicated.
Likewise, Donald Trump was unsparing in his condemnation. Painting the culprit as a deplorably unbalanced creature, he extended condolences and empathy. He conveyed, “The bereaved victims and those impacted by this tragic occasion in Winder, GA, remain etched in our hearts.” – Source, The New York Times.