The father of the 14-year-old accused of shooting and killing two teachers and two students was arrested in connection to the deadly Georgia school shooting that rocked the small community.

Colin Gray, the father of the 14-year-old suspect, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced Thursday.

In addition to two counts of second-degree murder, 54-year-old Gray was also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children, according to the GBI.

He was arrested on Wednesday, the GBI announced during a press conference on Thursday evening.

GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT CHARGED WITH FELONY MURDER: LIVE UPDATES

The Director of the GBI, Chris Hosey, said that this was a “difficult” time for the community.

VIDEOS TAKEN INSIDE APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL SHOW GUN, ORDERED EVACUATIONS

“This is a very difficult time, as we know, for students and parents and so many students and parents here in this county and around this state are afraid,” he said. “You all have likely seen reports of incidents of other students making threats today at various schools around our state. In each of these incidents, police law enforcement took charges, and they made arrests, acted very swiftly as we take incidents like this very seriously across this state.”

People attend a vigil at Jug Tavern Park following a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, U.S. September 4, 2024.  (REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)

Hosey encouraged the community to “come together and remain vigilant” in the wake of the deadly mass shooting.

“This is a time for all of us as a community and a state, to come together and remain vigilant,” he said. “Students must be supported and encouraged here in this community and across the state to contact a member of their school faculty with any and all concerns of suspicious activity that they may see.” 

“Local, state and federal law enforcement will continue to work together around the clock in relation to this incident here and any other incidents that come up around this state that raise concern for the safety of our students, faculty and citizens here in the State of Georgia.”

From left to right: Math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie were killed at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, along with Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, officials say. (Fox News)

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith announced that of the nine injured, which included 2 teachers and 7 students, all would make a full recovery. 

Smith implored the audience to “lift up our community.”

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“Please keep these children, these teachers,” he said. “We call them teachers, but I call them heroes.”

The four victims of Wednesday’s mass shooting in Winder, Ga., were crucial to the interwoven fabric of a high school. Some taught math and football. Others dreamed of what they would do one day as grownups. All of those who lost their lives in the Apalachee High School attack were loved in their families and community.

The violence came just after the school had completed its first month of the new school year. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified the dead as students Christian Angulo, 14, and Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.

At least nine other people were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. The suspected killer, a 14-year-old, was taken into custody at the school. He had previously been investigated by federal and local agencies over “online threats to commit a school shooting,” according to the FBI.

Here’s what we know about the four victims who died:

Mason Schermerhorn

Mason had just started high school last month. Photos of him show a smiling young man wearing glasses. On a fundraising page, he is being remembered by his sister as a teenager who was funny and liked to tell jokes.

“Family members described Mason as someone who was always positive and always looked at the bright side of things. One of his favorite hobbies was playing video games on his PS5 and VR headset,” according to Atlanta TV station Fox 5.

Christian Angulo

Like Mason, Christian was a freshman at Apalachee.

“He was a very good kid and very sweet and so caring. He was so loved by many,” his oldest sister, Lisette, said as she launched a GoFundMe page to pay for her younger brother’s funeral.

“We are truly heartbroken,” she added, saying that while donations would help pay expenses related to his funeral, “We also would appreciate any prayers at this time.”

Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall

Richard Aspinwall was a popular coach at Apalachee High School, where he also taught math. He is survived by his wife and two young children; Aspinwall is seen here in a photo from the school’s website.

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Apalachee High School

Aspinwall was a math teacher who also coached football at Apalachee. He and his wife, Shayna, formerly taught together at Mountain View High School. The couple have two young daughters.

Aspinwall’s friends and colleagues are mourning a well-liked and respected coach who specialized in defense. His former players describe him as a role model who took a deep interest in their futures.

“For me specifically, he believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. He pushed me to have high aspirations through the faith he had in me,” Marquel Broughton, one of his former players at Mountain View, told the Gwinnett Daily Post. “His love was genuine, and his heart was pure. His legacy will forever live on through those he touched. Coach A will forever be known as a hero.”

Christina Irimie

A photo from Apalachee High School’s website shows Christina Irimie, 53. A math teacher at the school, Irimie was killed in a mass shooting on Wednesday.

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There is little public information available about Irimie, at this time, other than her listing as a math teacher on the Apalachee High School website.

NPR and its member stations are working to learn more about her. Local reports cite students calling her a patient and caring teacher.

Authorities said 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspenwall and Christina Irimie, were killed in the attack.

ATHENS, Ga. — A rural Georgia community is mourning the loss of four people who were killed Wednesday after a 14-year-old student opened fire at a high school — sending students and staff rushing to shelter in their classrooms as schools throughout the county went into lockdown.

The four victims killed were identified as two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, an Atlanta suburb of 18,300 people. The attack, which also injured eight students and one teacher, sent shock waves through the community.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey confirmed Wednesday night that 14-year-olds, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, were killed in the shooting.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith called the shooting “pure evil.”

“This hits home for me because I was born and raised here,” Smith said at an earlier news conference on Wednesday. “My heart hurts for these kids. My heart hurts for our community, but I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county. I want that to be very clear and known. Love will prevail over what happened today. I assure you of that.”

Hundreds of community members gathered in Jug Tavern Park in downtown Winder for a vigil on Wednesday night. Many held candles, bowing their heads down and holding each other as they prayed for the lives lost in the tragic shooting.

Here’s what we know so far about the victims:

Mason Shermerhorn, 14

The mother of Schermerhorn confirmed to WSB-TV Atlanta that her son was killed in the attack.

Schermerhorn was autistic and family members shared photos of him on social media when they couldn’t contact him after the shooting, according to the local television station.

Richard Aspinwall, 39

Aspinwall taught math at Apalachee High School and was the school football team’s defensive coordinator. Head coach Mike Hancock on Wednesday night was grieving Aspinwall’s loss for the Winder community and his family.

“He was a great dad, man, and a great father,” Hancock said. “He loved his two girls and he loved his wife. He did happen to love the game of football and he was well respected around this area.”

Aspinwall, a Rome native, was one of Hancock’s first hires when taking over Apalachee’s program last season when Aspinwall came from Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville to serve as the defensive coordinator.

“We’ve got a staff that’s hurting,” Hancock added. “This staff has been together for two years and Ricky has been a big part of it. It’s tough.”

Christina Irimie, 53

According to the Barrow County Schools website, Irimie was a math teacher at Apalachee High School.

Contributing: Sara Tidwell, Athens Banner-Herald