Colin Gray trial: Jury sees gun used in Apalachee school shooting
Jury sees gun used in Apalachee school shooting
Day three of the Colin Gray trial continued on Wednesday. Jurors saw the gun used in the Apalachee High School shooting and a medical examiner testified about the wounds victim's received.
BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - Testimony continued today in the trial of Colin Gray, the father of the accused Apalachee High School shooter, as jurors heard from both a school administrator and a school resource officer about the moments leading up to and during the attack.
The trial, now in its third day, centers on allegations that Gray knew his son was struggling and failed to take steps to prevent the shooting. Prosecutors are expected to argue the weapon used was a Christmas gift from Gray to his son, despite concerns about the teen’s mental health and potential for violence.
Colin Gray trial day 3
What we know:
An assistant principal testified that a teacher raised concerns after the student asked about active shooter drills and appeared to be carrying a heavy backpack he was having difficulty handling. The administrator said she had never met him before and could only locate an outdated fourth-grade photo in the school system.
She told jurors she went with school resource officers to find him but initially encountered a different student with a similar name. By the time they realized the mistake and attempted to use school cameras to track him, he had already left class for counseling. A short time later, gunfire began.
School administrator, officers testify during Colin Gray trial
A school administrator at Apalachee High School took the stand on Wednesday morning to talk about how they became concerned after he asked about active shooter drills. Deputies also took the stand to talk about what happened when they responded to the school.
Jurors also heard from deputies who responded when they heard what one described as a "muffled snare drum," which turned out to be gunfire. One officer testified, "There was a brief moment where we didn’t hear gunfire. So we’re trying to orient and see which direction to go, because you have two options."
After rounding a corner, deputies encountered what the officer described as "A lot of smoke and dust in the hallway," adding that "the dust and everything shook down. Making it very hard to see." He said he could make out a "darker black silhouette in the smoke toward the end of the hall," and that a victim on the floor was so obscured he "initially thought it was a duffel bag until I got close enough."
When deputies reached the suspect, the officer testified that "he was compliant." He added, "We were able to get him down while Deputy King covered him with lethal cover. I proceeded to handcuff him and do a search and patdown for weapons."
Deputy recounts confronting Apalachee High shooter
The trial of Colin Gray entered its third day in Barrow County as a School Resource Officer (SRO) provided a harrowing, play-by-play account of confronting and detaining Colt Gray. This follows an emotional Day 2 where student victims testified about the permanent physical and mental scars left by the Apalachee High School shooting.
In court, the officer described the moments after hearing gunfire as deputies tried to figure out where to go.
"There was a brief moment where we didn’t hear gunfire. So we’re trying to orient and see which direction to go, because you have two options," the officer testified.
After rounding a corner, the officer said deputies encountered "A lot of smoke and dust in the hallway," adding that "the dust and everything shook down. Making it very hard to see." He told jurors he could initially make out a "darker black silhouette in the smoke toward the end of the hall," and said one victim in the hallway was so obscured by smoke and dust that "I initially thought it was a duffel bag."
The officer testified that when deputies got close enough, they could see the suspect was a student and that "he was compliant." The officer said deputies took him into custody while another deputy provided cover: "We were able to get him down while Deputy King covered him with lethal cover. I proceeded to handcuff him and do a search and patdown for weapons."
The courtroom also showed the rifle Colt allegedly used in the shooting. Investigators said it took about 3 days to fully process the crime scene.
A medical examiner testified that the four victims who died in the shooting suffered catastrophic injuries.
Dr. Mattox described where the victims -- Mason Schermerhorn, Christian Angulo, Richard Aspinwall, and Cristina Irimie -- were struck by bullets.
Prosecutors concluded testimony by asking if quicker medical intervention could have saved any of the four victims who died.
"In all of these cases, the injuries that were sustained, even if they were sustained in front of a hospital, I don’t believe would have survived," Dr. Mattox told the court.
Day 2 Recap
The backstory:
The trial of Colin Gray, the father of the Appalachian High School shooter, entered a harrowing second day as survivors took the stand to recount the events of the September 2024 tragedy. Gray faces nearly 30 charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, in a case that could see him sentenced to 180 years in prison.
Disturbing testimony from students in Colin Gray trial
Students of Apalachee High School revealed disturbing details about the mass shooting in 2024 in the second day of testimony in the trial of Colin Gray, father of accused shooter Colt Gray.
Over a dozen students are expected to testify about the day police say his son, Colt Gray, opened fire inside the school, killing two students and two teachers and wounding nine others. Prosecutors argue that Colin Gray is criminally responsible because he purchased the rifle for his son despite being aware of clear "warning signs" and failing to prevent the massacre.
The courtroom was filled with heavy emotion as students—whose identities are being protected due to their age—shared disturbing details of the shooting. One student’s recorded plea for help was played for the court, capturing the terror of the moment: "Help me. I’ve been shot. I’m a kid and I got shot."
Survivors testified that the trauma remains a daily burden. One student told the court that they are constantly worried about the possibility of another shooting. "Every time I'm in the classroom, this is all I'll be thinking about," the student said.
Colin Gray trial: Students testify about school shooting
During day two of the Colin Gray murder trial, the courtroom was filled with visceral, tearful accounts from Apalachee High School students who survived the September 4, 2024, shooting. These young witnesses sat just feet away from the defendant, recounting the "big loud banging noise" of gunfire and the sight of blood covering their classrooms.
What's next:
Testimony is scheduled to resume this morning at 8:30 AM as prosecutors continue to call witnesses to establish Gray's alleged negligence.
FOX 5 Atlanta will livestream the trial on its website, YouTube channel and Facebook.