Apalachee High School shooting: Jury selection underway for Colin Gray
Jury selection starts in Colin Gray trial
Jury selection began Monday in the trial for Colin Gray, father of the accused Apalachee High School shooter. The jury is being picked from a neighboring county due to the impact of the shooting.
BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - Jury selection began Monday in the trial of Colin Gray, the father of the accused Apalachee High School shooter, at the Barrow County Courthouse.
What we know:
Prosecutors and defense attorneys selected a jury from neighboring Hall County, rather than Barrow County, due to the widespread impact of the September 2024 school shooting. Gray faces nearly 30 charges, including second-degree murder.
What they're saying:
Authorities allege Gray provided his son, Colt Gray, with the firearm used in the shooting, despite knowing his son could pose a threat. The attack left four people dead and seven others injured, according to investigators.
"This shooting not only affected the very small population of Barrow County, but as their defense attorneys for Collin Gray noted to the court, the entire region has been affected by this shooting," Schiffer said. "In order to ensure that the trial has integrity, the court has determined that the jury pool should actually be from Hall County next door."
Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer said the case marks the first time Georgia has sought to impose criminal liability on a parent in a mass shooting, drawing comparisons to the Ethan Crumbley case in Michigan.
"Prosecutors were very successful in Michigan for the Ethan Crumbley case going against his parents, and were successful in achieving a conviction for allowing that young man to possess the firearm he used to commit the crime," he said.
Schiffer said the case could potentially affect gun owners.
"This can be seen by some as an attack on Second Amendment rights, because you're being criminalized for your constructive possession of a firearm with another family member," he said.
Schiffer said the judge has set aside up to three weeks for jury selection. Proceedings are expected to continue as attorneys work through the jury pool.
"As much as there are facts that will be established, I really believe the defense is whether this is going to be an appropriate charge or whether the statutes, as written in Georgia, allow a conviction to flow from this kind of behavior," Schiffer said about what Gray’s attorneys will be focusing on during proceedings
What's next:
The trial is expected to draw significant attention as jury selection begins.
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