A timeline of 14-year-old Colt Gray’s tumultuous home life sheds light on the instability he endured before the tragic school shooting that claimed four lives at Apalachee High School in Georgia. The young teen, along with his father, Colin Gray, has been charged in the killings of two students and two teachers, an act that left nine others injured, seven of whom were shot.
Colt’s upbringing was marked by frequent moves and family turmoil. “Colt’s gone through a lot,” Colin Gray revealed during a police interrogation, transcripts of which were released. He described his son as a boy who simply “wanted a simple life” but was constantly subjected to challenges beyond his control.
The Gray family’s instability began to unravel when they were evicted from their rental home in Jefferson, Georgia, in May 2022, following the separation of Colin and Marcee Gray. While Colt stayed with his father, his two younger siblings initially lived with their mother. This marked the start of a series of relocations that would add strain to Colt’s already difficult life, according to Fox News Digital.
Neighbors recalled the family’s brief stay in another Jefferson rental home, where they lived only a “couple of months” before moving again. It was during this period, in May 2023, that Colt allegedly made violent threats to shoot up his middle school. In police interviews, Colin Gray noted that his son struggled with bullying at West Jackson Middle School, a situation that worsened his emotional state.
“Colt just wants us to have a simple life,” Colin told investigators. “He should be excited about getting into 8th grade. It was very difficult for him to go to school and not get picked on.”
By November 2023, Colt and his father had relocated to Winder, Georgia, where the teen lived until his arrest after the tragic school massacre. It was in this home that further turmoil ensued, with Colt’s mother, Marcee, vandalizing her ex-husband’s truck and being convicted of drug-related charges.
The horrific school shooting occurred on a Wednesday morning, and within minutes of the first report at 9:30 a.m., law enforcement arrived. “Law enforcement had a very, very swift response to this incident,” GBI director Chris Hosey said.
Colt was swiftly apprehended and is now facing four counts of murder, accused of using an AR-style rifle to carry out the deadly attack. His father, Colin Gray, also faces charges, as prosecutors attempt to hold him accountable for his son’s actions.
“You don’t have to have been physically injured in this to be a victim,” District Attorney Brad Smith remarked. “Every child in that school was a victim.”