Georgia
Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray arrested
![Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray arrested Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray arrested](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AFP__20240905__36FJ3BX__v3__HighRes__TopshotUsCrimeShootingSchool-1725595678.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)
Two students and two teachers were killed and nine people injured in Wednesday’s high school shooting.
The father of the 14-year-old boy suspected of shooting dead four people and injuring nine more in a Georgia school has been arrested.
State officials said Colin Gray knowingly allowed his son Colt to have the weapon he used in Wednesday’s attack.
Gray, 54, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said.
“These charges stem from Mr Gray knowingly allowing his son Colt to possess a weapon,” Chris Hosey, director of the GBI, told a news conference.
Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of murder and officials have said he will be tried as an adult. He is due to appear in court by video camera on Friday morning.
Two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed in the attack on the Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta, reviving a long-running US debate on gun control.
Investigators say the younger Gray used an “AR platform style weapon”, or semiautomatic rifle, to carry out the shooting.
It remained unclear exactly how the teenager came into possession of the weapon.
Citing unnamed sources, CNN reported that the gun, which it described as an AR 15-style assault rifle, had been bought for the teenager by his father as a holiday gift.
“The investigation into the shooting at Apalachee HS is still active [and] ongoing,” the GBI said in a post on social media platform X.
Parental responsibility
Officials identified the two students killed as Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. The two teachers were Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Nine people were injured, seven of them students. All are expected to make a full recovery.
Parental responsibility in mass shootings, particularly those carried out by minors, has come increasingly under the spotlight in recent months.
“How could you have an assault rifle, a weapon in a house, not locked up and knowing your kid knows where it is?” President Joe Biden told reporters on Thursday.
“You’ve got to hold parents accountable if they let their child have access to these guns.”
In April, the mother and father of a Michigan teen were sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison when a jury convicted them of manslaughter after their son shot and killed four classmates. It was believed to be the first time parents had been held legally responsible for their child’s actions in a school shooting.
Experts and gun safety advocates said the Michigan case was an important step in holding gun-owning parents more accountable for gun violence carried out by their children.
Studies by the US Department of Homeland Security have shown that about 75 percent of all school attackers got their weapons from home.
The United States has seen hundreds of shootings inside schools and colleges in the past two decades. The carnage has intensified the debate over gun laws and the US Constitution’s Second Amendment “to keep and bear arms”.
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Georgia
Colin Gray, father of Georgia high school shooting suspect charged with murder, manslaughter, child cruelty
![Colin Gray, father of Georgia high school shooting suspect charged with murder, manslaughter, child cruelty Colin Gray, father of Georgia high school shooting suspect charged with murder, manslaughter, child cruelty](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/Apalachee-High-School-Shooting-Georgia_31.jpg)
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
Georgia agencies provide an update on the Apalachee High School shooting. (Fox News Digital/ Mollie Markowitz)
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](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/Apalachee-High-School-Shooting-Georgia-Day-2_01.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
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.”
![Four-way split photo of the victims of the Apalachee High School shooting](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/4-Way-Split-Photo-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
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.”
Georgia
These are the 2 students and 2 teachers killed at Apalachee High School in Georgia
![These are the 2 students and 2 teachers killed at Apalachee High School in Georgia These are the 2 students and 2 teachers killed at Apalachee High School in Georgia](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3600x2025+0+188/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F18%2F3e%2F35c68355452298afc268ee53c204%2Fgettyimages-2169668786.jpg)
Students kneel in front of a makeshift memorial in front of Apalachee High School on in Winder, Ga., on Thursday, one day after two students and two teachers were shot and killed at the school.
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images
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Jessica McGowan/Getty Images
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.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/420x420+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F41%2Fd8%2Fc7473d3d469bac5c69b5568e3581%2Faspinwall-richard.jpg)
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.
Apalachee High School
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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.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/420x420+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fef%2Fc2%2F66ed6c784ec6be23f18419d4510c%2Firimie-christina.jpg)
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.
Apalachee High School
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Apalachee High School
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.
Georgia
Apalachee High School shooting: What we know about the victims
![Apalachee High School shooting: What we know about the victims Apalachee High School shooting: What we know about the victims](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/b7d7/live/fec6c6c0-6b6a-11ef-8c32-f3c2bc7494c6.jpg)
![Apalachee High School BBC composite image of Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/b7d7/live/fec6c6c0-6b6a-11ef-8c32-f3c2bc7494c6.jpg.webp)
Four people have been killed and nine others injured in a shooting at Apalachee High School in the city of Winder, Georgia.
Officials have identified those who died as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall.
The 14-year-old suspect, Colt Gray, was arrested and will be prosecuted as an adult.
Here is what we know so far about the attack victims.
Mason Schermerhorn
Schermerhorn was one of two 14-year-olds killed. Friends of his mother told the New York Times that he had recently started at Apalachee.
He was described as lighthearted, and enjoyed reading, video games and visiting Walt Disney World.
Schermerhorn had an “upbeat attitude about everything”, Doug Kilburn told the newspaper.
Louis Briscoe described the moment he heard of Schermerhorn’s death from the boy’s mother, commenting: “Nobody should have to go through this type of pain.”
Christian Angulo
Lisette Angulo identified herself as the elder sister of the shooting’s other 14-year-old victim.
In a GoFundMe page aimed at raising money for the funeral, she said her brother was “a very good kid and very sweet and so caring”. She went on to say the boy was “loved by many”, describing her heartbreak at her loss.
Schoolmates remembered him as funny and with a “chill” attitude, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. One friend who said the two had been close since middle school said he was “in denial” after hearing about the deadly shooting.
Christina Irimie
Christina Irimie was one of two teachers killed in the shooting.
The 53-year-old is named on the Apalachee High School website as a maths teacher.
Students described her as patient and caring, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Richard Aspinwall
A second maths teacher, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall, was also killed.
He was also the school’s American football defensive coordinator, US media reported. He has received tributes from his sporting peers.
Nearby Mountain View High School identified Aspinwall as its former teacher and coach, saying its “thoughts and prayers” were with his family.
Brandon Gill, the football coach of nearby Buford High School, wrote on social media that Aspinwall was a “helluva human being” who “would do anything for anyone.” He was an “amazing husband, father, teacher and coach”, he added.
![A BBC graphic dated 5 September 2024 shows the number of US mass shootings, year by year from 2014, defining these as incidents in which four or more people were killed or injured. There has been a steady rise over the last decade, with more than 600 reported each year in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The number so far in 2024 is 385](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4b32/live/2b4ecfc0-6b6c-11ef-b43e-6916dcba5cbf.png.webp)
People injured in the Georgia high school shooting
As well as the four people who were killed, eight students and a teacher were wounded.
The teacher was identified by his daughter as David Phenix. He has a role in curriculum assistance, according to the school’s website.
His daughter said he underwent surgery after being shot in the hip, and that she felt “so, so lucky” he had survived.
Little has been revealed about the eight children who were injured.
Police say all those who were hurt in the attack are expected to recover.
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