Colin Gray trial: State expected to show footage from school shooting

Jurors see Colin Gray interview with investigators

A jury watched Colin Gray being interviewed by a Barrow County investigator as the trial for the father of the accused Apalachee High School shooter continued on Wednesday.

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - The murder trial of Colin Gray resumed Wednesday for its eighth day, with jurors watching a lengthy law enforcement interview prosecutors say could be central to their case.

What we know:

Jurors in the trial of Colin Gray spent Wednesday morning watching video of his interview with sheriff’s deputies conducted days after the 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School.

The recorded interview gave jurors a detailed look at what investigators described as the family’s home life and how firearms were stored and accessed inside the house. During the questioning, investigators pointed out changes in Colin Gray’s account about where guns were kept between the day of the shooting and later interviews.

Jury watching interview with father Colin Gray

Jurors in the trial of Colin Gray, the father of the alleged Apalachee High School shooter, spent a grueling day watching video of his interview with sheriff’s deputies conducted just days after the 2024 tragedy.

Jurors also heard testimony about the weapon used in the attack, which investigators said was given to Colt Gray as a Christmas gift in 2023. Family members previously testified that both Colt’s mother and sister asked that firearms be locked away, but prosecutors allege that did not happen. Testimony indicated Colt had "really free access" to the guns and would clean them himself.

In addition, jurors heard about warning signs leading up to the shooting, including testimony about Colt’s struggles with anxiety, depression and aggression. Witnesses described incidents of property damage, including "punching holes in doors and walls," as well as self-harm. Colt’s mother previously testified that she told Colin Gray their son "needed professional help." Colin claimed that the family did not have the money to get the help needed and that he was working to get a gun safe for the home.

Additionally, jurors also saw a video of Colt Gray's sister the day after the shooting.

When questioned about whether he knew of Colt's poster of Nicholas Cruz, Colin said he thought that poster was for a band.

The state says it will call two more witnesses on Thursday, and that their testimony is expected to be emotional. Surveillance footage from the school on the day of the mass shooting is also expected to be shown.

Afterward, the state will rest, and the defense will have time to prove its case.

Tuesday recap

Court adjourned Tuesday before investigators could play the roughly two-and-a-half-hour recorded interview conducted with Gray in the hours after the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School.

Prosecutors contend Gray bears criminal responsibility for giving his son, Colt Gray, the semiautomatic rifle authorities say was used in the attack that killed two teachers and two students and injured nine others. Colin Gray faces 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

What we know:

On Tuesday, jurors heard emotional testimony from Gray’s daughter, who said her brother’s mental health deteriorated in the months leading up to the shooting and that firearms in the home were not secured. She testified that one rifle was kept in her brother’s bedroom and that images of Nikolas Cruz were displayed on his wall for months before the attack.

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She also told jurors her father instructed her to "basically try to cover for him" during a forensic interview, specifically telling her not to reveal that he knew about the Cruz images. She acknowledged she did not initially tell investigators the full truth.

Colin Gray's daughter testifies on day 7 of murder trial

On the seventh day of the murder trial for Colin Gray, father of the accused Apalachee school shooter Colt Gray, his own daughter took the stand as a key witness.

Earlier in the day, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that Colin Gray admitted buying the rifle as a Christmas gift in December 2023 and described months of "escalating aggression" by his son. The agent said Gray gave conflicting accounts about where the gun was stored — first saying it was secured, then later acknowledging it had been kept in his son’s bedroom.

Defense attorney Brian Hobbs has argued the shooting was intentionally hidden from Colin Gray and that criminal liability cannot be based on hindsight.

What's next:

When court resumes Wednesday morning, prosecutors are expected to play the full interview between investigators and Colin Gray, allowing jurors to hear his statements in their entirety as the state continues presenting its case.

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