Georgia school shooter identified as 14-year-old student

Colt Gray, a student at Apalachee High School, is in custody after killing four people and injuring several more

By Griffin Eckstein

News Fellow

Published September 4, 2024 6:09PM (EDT)

A police line is put up in front of Apalachee High School after a school shooting took place on September 4, 2024 in Winder, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
A police line is put up in front of Apalachee High School after a school shooting took place on September 4, 2024 in Winder, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Georgia authorities have identified a 14-year-old student as the suspected shooter in a devastating attack at Apalachee High School on Wednesday that left at least four dead and nine injured.

Colt Gray, identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, was taken into custody and will be charged with murder as an adult, law enforcement confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.

Per Georgia investigators, Gray was stopped by a school resource officer on-site at the school during the shooting and surrendered. 

“Of those that are deceased, two were students and two were teachers here at the school,” Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said Wednesday, per CNN.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith added that investigators have spoken to Gray, and said investigators were in contact with the 14-year-old’s family.

Smith said investigators weren’t aware of any connection between Gray and the victims of the shooting. A motive has yet to be released.

Authorities didn’t identify the firearm used by Gray as of Wednesday afternoon, nor were they able to reveal how Gray obtained a weapon and brought it to school. 

Schools in Barrow County will be closed for the week, with grief counseling services made available to impacted students, according to CNN.


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