Father of accused Ga. school shooter pleads not guilty to murder, other charges

Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Colin Gray, father of accused Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, pleaded not guilty Thursday and waived his appearance at an arraignment hearing in Winder, Ga., as he faces murder and many other charges.

Prosecutors say Colin Gray provided the weapon used by his son to kill four people at the high school on Sept. 4 even though he knew Colt Gray was a threat to himself and others.

Gray is the first parent of a juvenile charged with a school shooting to face murder charges in the United States.

His defense lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and formally waived his right to an appearance during the hearing.

Colt Gray, 14, allegedly killed two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irmie, and students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn using a black semiautomatic AR-15-style rifle at the Atlanta-area school.

Nine other people were wounded.

Colin Gray faces 29 charges that include second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

The grand jury indictment said Gray provided his son Colt "access to a firearm and ammunition after receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would endanger the bodily safety of another."

Colin Gray faces the strongest charges ever leveled against a parent of a juvenile charged in a school shooting.

The parents of Ethan Crumbley became the first parents criminally charged for a juvenile's school shooting. Crumbley killed four students and wounded seven others at Michigan's Oxford High School in 2021.

His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were sentenced to 10-15 years in prison in April.

Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in that shooting.