The mother of the 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people during a school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia last week said she will “never forgive myself for what has happened.”
Marcee Gray, mother of suspected school shooter Colt Gray, wrote an open letter apologizing to the families of those killed at Apalachee High School in Winder on Sept. 4.
“To the parents and families of those affected by the tragic events at Apalachee High School, I want to say that I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart,” Marcee wrote in the letter. (Marcee’s open letter was first published by CNN.)
Colt was arrested after authorities said he used an AR-15-style rifle to open fire inside Apalachee High School, about an hour’s drive from Atlanta. He has been accused of killing two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Nine others were injured during the shooting.
In her open letter, Marcee said if she could trade places with the two students killed in the shooting, she “would without a second thought.”
“As a parent, I’ve always said that the loss of one of my children would be the only thing that I wouldn’t be able to come back from,” she wrote. “I feel all of your pain and devastation. I grieve and cry with you.”
Marcee said she is also heartbroken over the deaths of the two educators who “gave their lives while in the service of teaching and protecting our children.”
Colt has been charged with four counts of felony murder and will be tried as an adult. If found guilty, he could serve life in prison, with or without parole.
Colt Gray, the suspect accused of killing four people during a school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga, on Sept. 4, 2024.
The Barrow County Sheriff's Office
Marcee said her son is “not a monster.”
“He is my oldest baby,” she wrote of Colt. “He is quiet, thoughtful, caring, funny, and extremely intelligent. Please pray for him and the rest of our family, as I am praying for all of you every moment of every day.”
Marcee’s open letter comes amid an investigation into the timeline of events on the morning of the shooting.
The Washington Post reported that Marcee told family members about a concerning message from Colt, reading “I’m sorry, Mom,” which she received on the day of the shooting.
Marcee reportedly contacted a school guidance counsellor to report an “extreme emergency” involving her son and urged staff to check on him immediately. Phone logs obtained by the Washington Post state the phone call lasted for 10 minutes and was made about 30 minutes before the shooting began.
The counsellor reportedly told Marcee over the phone that her son had been discussing a school shooting that morning. Staff at the school may have been searching for Colt minutes before he allegedly opened fire inside the school.
The outlet also claimed text logs from the week before the shooting show the Gray family and the high school were in contact about therapy for Colt. In one text message, Marcee’s sister wrote that Colt was experiencing “homicidal and suicidal thoughts.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office are continuing their investigation.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told ABC News on Monday he was not aware of Marcee’s phone call to the school, but insisted investigators are still working to piece together a timeline of events.
Smith separately told CNN there were no prior warnings of a threat at Apalachee High School.
The suspect’s father, Colin Gray, has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting. Colin faces two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children.
If convicted on all counts, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 180 years.
Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, enters the Barrow County courthouse for his first appearance, on Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga. The father has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and cruelty to children.
Brynn Anderson-Pool/Getty Images
Both Colt and Colin have yet to enter a plea.
Colt is expected to face more charges in the future.
The shooting at Apalachee High School was the latest among dozens of school shootings across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Conn., Parkland, Fla., and Uvalde, Texas.
The classroom killings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to active shooter drills in classrooms. Little has been done to move the needle on U.S. national gun laws.