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Father who supplied rifle in Georgia school attack sentenced to 15 years
Colin Gray, who supplied the rifle to his son for the attack that killed four at Apalachee High School, was convicted on 27 counts and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia that killed four people, the attacker's father Colin Gray was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing his son with a weapon. Barrow County Judge Nicholas Primm convicted Gray on 27 separate counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children.
The court ruled that Colin Gray provided his son Colt Gray with the rifle used in the attack despite repeated warnings about his deteriorating mental health. Judge Primm told Gray while announcing the sentence, "You failed as a parent. You did not get him mental health counseling when he clearly needed help."
Heartbreaking statements from victims' families
The hearing began with a statement from Shayna Aspinwall, wife of teacher and coach Richard "Ricky" Aspinwall, who was killed in the attack. Aspinwall described her trauma, saying, "To me, he was my best friend, my partner, and the person I expected to grow old with." She said she also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and could not continue teaching due to fear of another school shooting.
Pointing at Colin Gray, Shayna Aspinwall said, "He was a single parent by choice. Now, because of his decisions, so am I. Colin couldn't take his child to therapy, now I have to take my own child."
Breanna Schermerhorn, mother of 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn who was killed, objected to the incident being called a "tragedy": "People call it a tragedy. But tragedies are unavoidable. This was preventable." Her daughter Alana Schermerhorn also asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence.
Defense and prosecution requests
Defense attorneys requested that Colin Gray's sentence be 20 years, with 10 years to serve, and that the sentences run concurrently. The prosecution sought an 80-year prison sentence. Prosecutor Brad Smith noted that the defendant was found to have ignored a substantial and unjustifiable risk.
Smith also told the court that the defendant never called his son on the day of the attack, even after receiving a message from his daughter that three people had been killed at the school. The attacker Colt Gray had previously pleaded guilty to 55 charges, including murder, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The shooting at Apalachee High School in September 2024 killed two students and two teachers.
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