GA - Apalachee High School shooting, 4 dead, 9 injured, Winder, Barrow County - 04 September 2024 *father and son arrested*

[Izzylizzy]

Georgia shooting suspect's grandmother visited school one day before massacre to discuss his behavioral issues, family says

The suspect's grandfather also told CBS News that the boy texted his mother on the morning of the shooting, "I'm sorry."

www.cbsnews.com

"The maternal grandmother of the 14-year-old suspect in the deadly Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Georgia, visited the school the day before the massacre to discuss the suspect's alleged behavioral issues, the family revealed to CBS News Saturday."

Where was the father during this time period?
Did anyone call the father?

Shooting suspect’s mom drove 200 miles to Winder, Georgia, after getting cryptic text the morning of the school attack

The mother of the teenager suspected of killing four people during a shooting at a Winder, Georgia, high school called to warn a school counselor before the attack, according to the suspect’s aunt and grandfather.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Elley Mae]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/09/07/georgia-school-shooter-mother-warning/

 

[Izzylizzy]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/09/07/georgia-school-shooter-mother-warning/

Why in hell didn't the mother and/or school immediately call LE to find him?

"I was the one that notified the school counselor at the high school,” Marcee Gray texted her sister following the shooting on Sept. 4, according to a screenshot of the exchange. “I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find [my son] to check on him.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/09/07/georgia-school-shooter-mother-warning/

 

[Izzylizzy]

If the mother's claims vet out to be true we're looking at another school, Oxford's negligence and incompetence which ended in the worst kind of tragedy imaginable and one that could have been prevented.

 

[Izzylizzy]

And still no one called LE?


“I was the one that notified the school counselor at the high school,” Gray said in a text message to her sister, Annie Brown, according to a screenshot of the conversation obtained by the Post. “I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find [my son] to check on him.”

Brown declined to elaborate what prompted Gray to warn the school, but Charles Polhamus, the suspect's grandfather, told the New York Post Saturday that Gray rushed to Winder, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, after getting a text message from her son that read “I’m sorry, mom."



Mother of Georgia shooting suspect said she called school before attack, report says

 

[Breezie]

and both boys were not in the classroom
also explains the confusion with the classmate saying he skipped a lot of classes yet reports said it was only his first or second day - she must have been referring to the other kid IMO

She also said that he sat right next to her. It is possible that since he was chronically absent in middle school that his first two weeks were half days with academic classes like math in the morning to help him adjust to being in school again. He missed some of those mornings. He chose to do this on his first full day which also explains why they said he left early the day before. He had been enrolled two weeks before this happened.

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1832799204793589993

The father of the alleged Georgia school shooter reportedly took only his most precious possessions when the family was evicted -- his guns ... abandoning the dogs and family photos.

...

Georgia School Shooter's Dad Retrieved Guns After Eviction, Left Dogs

The father of the alleged Georgia school shooter reportedly took only his most precious possessions when the family was evicted -- his guns ... abandoning the dogs and family photos.

www.tmz.com

9/7/2024 7:29 AM PT

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1832768959881388464

The mother of alleged Georgia school shooter Colt Gray made a frantic phone call just before he opened fire, telling school officials she got a call from her son and she feared the worst.

...

Georgia School Shooter Apologized to Mother Before Shooting

The mother of alleged Georgia school shooter Colt Gray made a frantic phone call just before he opened fire, telling school officials she got a call from her son and she feared the worst.

www.tmz.com

9/8/2024 6:00 AM PT

 

[arielilane]

Parent calls school @9:50 am ET
LE is notified of the shooting @around 10:20 am ET

bbm


WINDER, Ga. -- The mother of the teenager suspected of killing four people during a Georgia school shooting called to warn a school counselor prior to the shooting, the gunman's aunt said Saturday.

Marcee Gray described an unspecified "extreme emergency" involving her 14-year-old son Colt during a Wednesday morning call to the school, sometime before the shooting began, Gray's sister Annie Brown told the Washington Post and later confirmed to CNN.


...

Mother of suspected gunman called Apalachee High School with warning before shooting, aunt says

The mother of the teenager suspected of killing four people during a Georgia school shooting called to warn a school counselor prior to the shooting, the gunman's aunt said Saturday.

abc30.com

The next step in the case against Gray will be a grand jury meeting on October 17. This will be followed by a scheduled arraignment before the trial process is started, Smith said. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 4, Mingledorff said.

 

[Sundog]

And still no one called LE?


“I was the one that notified the school counselor at the high school,” Gray said in a text message to her sister, Annie Brown, according to a screenshot of the conversation obtained by the Post. “I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find [my son] to check on him.”

Brown declined to elaborate what prompted Gray to warn the school, but Charles Polhamus, the suspect's grandfather, told the New York Post Saturday that Gray rushed to Winder, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, after getting a text message from her son that read “I’m sorry, mom."



Mother of Georgia shooting suspect said she called school before attack, report says

So the mother rushes to the school, calls the school about an extreme emergency when she gets an "I'm sorry, mom" text from her son. How did she know this text was related to his decision to shoot up the school? IMO, there's a lot more we don't know. It sounds like when the parents in the Ethan Crumbley case heard about the school shooting and immediately thought/knew it was their son.

The mother may want to lawyer-up as well as the father, IMO.


And now they're all blaming the school. What did she know, and when.

 

[Lusitana]

So the mother rushes to the school, calls the school about an extreme emergency when she gets an "I'm sorry, mom" text from her son. How did she know this text was related to his decision to shoot up the school? IMO, there's a lot more we don't know. It sounds like when the parents in the Ethan Crumbley case heard about the school shooting and immediately thought/knew it was their son.

The mother may want to lawyer-up as well as the father, IMO.


And now they're all blaming the school. What did she know, and when.

In my opinion, the text sounds suicidal and not homicidal. What option did she have other than call the school? She couldn't call the father to ask if he was at home or at school.

 

[Sundog]

In my opinion, the text sounds suicidal and not homicidal. What option did she have other than call the school? She couldn't call the father to ask if he was at home or at school.

It makes the most sense that she would think that he might be suicidal after receiving such a text. However, the reporting suggests that she was concerned it might be something else. Family members said earlier that about a week before the shooting they feared that he was homicidal or suicidal. So it is unclear what she thought at that moment when she called the school. I am sure we will eventually find out the whole story.

 

[Arkay]

In my opinion, the text sounds suicidal and not homicidal. What option did she have other than call the school? She couldn't call the father to ask if he was at home or at school.

I wonder why he called his mother instead of his father.

Maybe unresolved emotions about his mom? Wanted to see if she still cared about him?

Maybe he didn’t want to be stopped and he knew his dad, living nearby, could potentially get there in time to stop him?

Maybe punishing them both in different ways? Hurting his dad by not turning to him with an apology, or hurting his mom by making her have to frantically drive to his school three hours away?

Or just his whim at the time?

Just speculating.

 

[mickey2942]

In my opinion, the text sounds suicidal and not homicidal. What option did she have other than call the school? She couldn't call the father to ask if he was at home or at school.

So dysfunctional. That right there, shows how messed up this family is, when a mother and father don't even communicate about their children.

 

[Kristin Esq.]

I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around the facts:

Colt texted his mother, "I'm sorry, mom." She in turn called the school to tell them there was an extreme emergency.

The counselor went to go look for him, but he wasn't in the classroom. There was a mix up because there was another student with a similar name.

There didn't seem to be a sense of urgency from the school as they didn't contact LE. Mom didn't contact LE either. She got into the car from approx 3 hours away and on her way she heard about what happened.

She called the school at around 9:50am and LE was notified of the shooting at around 10:20am.

My questions are this:
1. How did the gun get into the school - he didn't seem to have it in the classroom, so where was it stashed, where did he get it?
2. What was the exact time the shooting started?
3. Lastly, do I have these facts correct, or did I mix them up somewhere?

 

[Breezie]

I wonder why he called his mother instead of his father.

Maybe unresolved emotions about his mom? Wanted to see if she still cared about him?

Maybe he didn’t want to be stopped and he knew his dad, living nearby, could potentially get there in time to stop him?

Maybe punishing them both in different ways? Hurting his dad by not turning to him with an apology, or hurting his mom by making her have to frantically drive to his school three hours away?

Or just his whim at the time?

Just speculating.

We don’t know that his dad didn’t receive a text from him.
His dad was probably at work.
If he did receive a text, he might not have read it until later.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/09/05/colin-gray-arrested-father-georgia-school-shooting-suspect/

Colt Gray “struggled at first with the separation and all,” said the father, who worked a construction job.

“I’m the sole provider, doing high-rises downtown,” he told the investigator. Two days later, there was a follow-up interview with Colin Gray while he was at work. He said by phone: “I’m hanging off the top of a building. ... I’ve got a big crane lift going, so it’s kind of noisy up here.

It sounds like his father has the kind of job where he might not be able to immediately check his phone when he gets texts.

 

[Izzylizzy]

My questions are this:
1. How did the gun get into the school - he didn't seem to have it in the classroom, so where was it stashed, where did he get it?
2. What was the exact time the shooting started?
3. Lastly, do I have these facts correct, or did I mix them up somewhere?

I was also curious about that, it wasn't a handgun.

"Parent calls school @9:50 am ET"
"LE is notified of the shooting @around 10:20 am ET"

 

[kaen]

I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around the facts:

Colt texted his mother, "I'm sorry, mom." She in turn called the school to tell them there was an extreme emergency.

The counselor went to go look for him, but he wasn't in the classroom. There was a mix up because there was another student with a similar name.

There didn't seem to be a sense of urgency from the school as they didn't contact LE. Mom didn't contact LE either. She got into the car from approx 3 hours away and on her way she heard about what happened.

She called the school at around 9:50am and LE was notified of the shooting at around 10:20am.

My questions are this:
1. How did the gun get into the school - he didn't seem to have it in the classroom, so where was it stashed, where did he get it?
2. What was the exact time the shooting started?
3. Lastly, do I have these facts correct, or did I mix them up somewhere?

I would imagine that whatever their protocols are that they implemented them based on this call. I thought it was an AP who went to the class. (And in the account of the young woman who sat next to him in class, the AP was looking for the wrong kid and took his backpack and he return to class before the shooting) The teacher was contacted verbally through a 2 way system and asked to check email. In my school, the protocols when looking for a student are face to face contact and use of cameras to track. He was marked present in the class so any surveillance would start there in my neck of the woods. LE resource officers might have been notified before a general call to LE so, the timing questions really are more of when did on-site resource officers know and when was a call/request for assistance made.

Biggest questions in addition to yours:

1. When was the last time the gun was seen at home?
2. How did he get to school the day before and day of? Who picked him up on the day before?
3. Have they tracked his movements in the building for the day before and the day of the shooting? (This will give opportunity to determine where the gun was from the time it entered the building.)
4. How did the AP come to get the wrong kid? How did any name mix up occur?
5. When did the school first get notified of his mental health? When did the crisis team meet? Did he meet with anyone on the admin team or counseling team?
6. What time was LE notified of the call to mom?
7. Where was dad the day before and the day of the shooting? Was he supporting his son and wife's family in getting help or denying there was a problem?

 

[Breezie]

So dysfunctional. That right there, shows how messed up this family is, when a mother and father don't even communicate about their children.

There was an order in place for a while where she couldn’t contact him. Even if the order had been lifted, she might have still been reluctant to contact him.

 

[housewife]

In my opinion, the text sounds suicidal and not homicidal. What option did she have other than call the school? She couldn't call the father to ask if he was at home or at school.

Did mom know dad bought their kid a gun? I don't know what specific threats he made that morning so as a parent I would also assume self harm from that text.

I have a few wishes for this new school year:

Adults, lock up your killing tools or go to jail.

Teachers, best wishes and may your classroom furniture be strong and bullet proof.