Georgia high school shooting suspect pleads not guilty, demands jury trial
Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray has pleaded not guilty and is now demanding a jury trial.
The 14-year-old accused of killing four and wounding nine others during the mass shooting at the Georgia high school on Sept. 4 also has waived an arraignment hearing that had been scheduled for Nov. 21, according to court papers filed by his attorney.
A Barrow County grand jury last week indicted Gray on a total of 55 counts as an adult, including murder in the deaths of four people and 25 counts of aggravated assault at the high school. Grand jurors indicted his father, Colin Gray, on 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Both also face multiple counts of cruelty to children.
Colin Gray, 54, was arrested and charged for allegedly purchasing the firearm used in the shooting and giving it to Colt for Christmas.
GEORGIA SCHOOL SHOOTING: FATHER AND SON, COLIN AND COLT GRAY, INDICTED BY GRAND JURY
A Barrow County grand jury has indicted 14-year-old Colt Gray and his father, Colin Gray. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson/Barrow County Sheriff’s Office)
The Sept. 4 shooting killed teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded, seven of them hit by gunfire.
Georgia is one of 42 states nationwide that holds parents criminally responsible on behalf of their children.
MOTHER OF APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT CHARGED WITH ELDER ABUSE, TYING MOTHER TO CHAIR: REPORT
A memorial is seen at Apalachee High School after the school shooting on Sept. 7, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Colin Gray had not yet entered a plea as of Tuesday and remained scheduled for his own Nov. 21 arraignment, according to The Associated Press. His son, meanwhile, is demanding a jury trial, Atlanta News First reported.
Colt Gray is being held in a juvenile detention center in Gainesville, while Colin Gray is being held in the Barrow County jail. Neither has sought to be released on bail.
Suspected gunman Colt Gray leaves the Barrow County courthouse after his first appearance on Sept. 6 following the shooting at Apalachee High School. (Brynn Anderson-Pool/Getty Images)
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Colt Gray faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole or life with the possibility of parole if convicted.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
