The 14-year-old student accused of opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, has been charged with four counts of murder, with additional charges expected, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Thursday,
Two teachers and two students were killed in Wednesday morning’s shooting: math teacher and football coach Richard Aspinwall, 39; math teacher Christina Irimie, 53; and students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, authorities said.
Eight students and a teacher were injured, authorities said. All of the injured victims are expected to recover, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said.
Women cry as they attend a vigil at Jug Tavern Park following a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024.
Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
The suspect, Colt Gray, surrendered to school resource officers at the scene and was taken into custody, the GBI said.
Gray will be tried as an adult, the GBI said.
He is being held at the Gainesville Area Youth Detention Center and will appear in court virtually Friday morning, authorities said.
Parents walk their child out of Apalachee High School after a school shooting, September 4, 2024, in Winder, Georgia.
Mike Stewart/AP
Police officers at the scene of a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024.
Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
An AR-style weapon was used in the shooting, according to GBI Director Chris Hosey.
Authorities said they do not yet know how Gray obtained the gun and brought it into the school. Gray has been interviewed by investigators and the GBI, but Smith did not provide further details.
Teachers at the high school had credentials that alert law enforcement if there is an active incident — a new security system implemented just a week ago, the sheriff said.
Linda Carter, of Grayson, Georgia, kneels near Apalachee High School to lay flowers as she mourns the students and teachers killed, September 5, 2024, in Winder, Georgia.
Brynn Anderson/AP
The motive has not yet been determined and it is unclear whether the victims were targeted, investigators said.
The GBI said in a statement Thursday: “This is day two of a very complex investigation. & the integrity of the case is paramount. We ask for the public’s patience as we work to ensure the successful prosecution of the case “& justice for the victims.”
Autopsies will be performed Thursday, the GBI said.
People leave Apalachee High School, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
Mike Stewart/AP
People hold candles as they attend a vigil at Jug Tavern Park following a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024.
Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
In May 2023, authorities questioned the suspect, then 13, about alleged threats to commit a school shooting, according to the FBI.
The FBI said it received anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting and that the online threats contained pictures of firearms.
The boy’s father told authorities he had shotguns in the house, saying “Colt is allowed to use them when supervised but does not have free access to them,” according to the police report obtained by ABC News.
Students and faculty along with community members gather for a vigil following a shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4, 2024 in Winder, Georgia.
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During questioning, the 13-year-old “assured me that he had never threatened to shoot up a school,” an officer wrote, according to the report.
“I have been unable to substantiate that the intelligence I received from the FBI justified my taking any further action,” one officer wrote in his report. “At this point, due to the inconsistent nature of the information received by the FBI, the allegation that Colt or [his father] “The identity of the user behind the Discord account that made the threat cannot be proven.”
“At this time, there was no probable cause to arrest anyone or take additional law enforcement action at the local, state or federal levels,” the FBI said Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office said it has “alert[ed]local schools to continue monitoring the matter.”
ABC News’ Alex Faul, Josh Margolin, Brandon Baur, Faith Abubey, Miles Cohen, Meredith Deliso and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
