Fourteen-year-old Colt Gray and his father, Colin Gray, face murder charges following a deadly shooting at a US high school.
Colt Gray, the 14-year-old suspect accused of killing four people in a school shooting in the United States this week, appeared in court for the first time since the attack.
Friday's proceedings were quickly followed by a second hearing for the suspect's father, Colin Gray, 54.
The elder Gray faces murder and manslaughter charges in connection with the shooting, as prosecutors argue he allowed his son access to firearms.
“Her charges are directly related to her son’s actions and allowing him to possess a gun,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey.
Friday marked the first time any of the defendants appeared in court since the deadly shooting that killed two students and two teachers and injured nine others at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday.
Authorities said the 14-year-old suspect surrendered without resistance. He faces four counts of manslaughter.
At his hearing, Barrow County Superior Court Judge Currie Mingledorff informed Gray that he could face life in prison, correcting himself after mistakenly stating that the 14-year-old could face the death penalty.
Because Gray is under 18, he is not eligible for capital punishment despite being charged as an adult. Because he is a minor, his face was also hidden from the media during the trial.
Gray is being held without bond at the Gainesville Regional Juvenile Detention Center and has not yet entered a plea.
Authorities have not yet offered a potential motive in the shooting or provided details on how the 14-year-old obtained the “AR platform-style weapon” used in the attack.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for December 4.
His father, Colin Gray, was brought before the judge about 40 minutes after the 14-year-old left the courtroom. He faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that the 14-year-old’s aunt said he had been “begging for months” for help with mental health issues but had not received the assistance he needed. The aunt also said the teen suffered from a “difficult home life.”
Colin Gray is the latest parent to be charged in connection with a child's actions in a school shooting, and faces a sentence of up to 180 years in prison.
In April, Michigan parents Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of four counts each of involuntary manslaughter after their son Ethan opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan.
Prosecutors argued that the Crumbleys failed to adequately protect their firearms and respond to their son's mental health issues. Both were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Crumbleys were the first parents to be convicted in connection with a school shooting carried out by a child in the United States.
Experts have long argued that widespread access to firearms has contributed to the prevalence of school shootings in the country. However, conservative lawmakers have rejected efforts to add additional restrictions on firearm access and have often pushed for even further relaxation of existing rules.
