Suspect’s father owned the kind of rifle used in Georgia school shooting

Flowers are left by mourners during a vigil at Jug Tavern Park for the victims of a school shooting at Apalachee High School, in Winder, Ga., on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. A 14-year-old student opened fire at his Georgia high school on Wednesday, killing two students and two teachers before surrendering to school resource officers, according to the authorities, who said the suspect would be charged with murder. (Amanda Kathleen Greene/The New York Times)

By Sean Keenan, Glenn Thrush and Rick Rojas

New details emerged Thursday as investigators continued to examine the life of a 14-year-old student accused of opening fire in his Georgia high school. Documentation obtained by The New York Times shows that, in 2022, the boy’s father owned the type of military-style rifle that officials say was used in the attack.

Police also found recent evidence that the suspect was interested in mass shootings, particularly the 2018 massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. The teen is now accused of killing two students and two teachers — the deadliest school shooting in Georgia history.

There were also questions about potentially missed opportunities to prevent the attack. Sheriff’s officers had interviewed the teenager more than a year ago about online school shooting threats but found no definitive evidence that the boy had posted the messages, according to an investigative report obtained by the Times.

His father told an investigator at the time that he was teaching the teen about hunting to get him away from video games. “He knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do, and how to use them and not use them,” Colin Gray told a Jackson County investigator in May 2023, according to a transcript obtained by the Times.

Here’s what else to know:

— The victims: Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14-year-old students, were killed in the hail of gunfire, along with Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, who were teachers, state officials said. The nine other people in hospitals with injuries were all expected to survive.

— The suspect: Officials said the suspect, identified as Colt Gray, 14, would be charged with murder and prosecuted as an adult. The shooter had used an “AR-platform-style weapon,” officials said. Records from a 2022 eviction obtained by the Times show that the suspect’s father owned a black AR-15. It was later returned to him.

— Previous encounter: When interviewed by sheriff’s officers last year, Colin Gray said his son did not have “unfettered” access to his guns, according to the investigative report obtained by the Times. But authorities alerted local schools, officials said.