Police arrest father of Georgia high school shooter for buying him rifle as Christmas gift | El Diario Vasco

US police arrested the father of the man who shot at a high school in Winder, Georgia, on Thursday night – early Friday morning in Spain – which left four people dead on Wednesday. He is accused of “knowingly allowing” the 14-year-old to have a gun and even buying one for him.

Colin Gray, 54, will face four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, CNN reported.

Investigations and questioning by officers have revealed that Gray purchased a gun for his son, Colt Gray, as a Christmas gift in December 2023, which he ultimately used in the shooting.

Questioned by the FBI

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that it questioned Colt Gray last year after receiving several anonymous tips of threats made over the Internet about a possible shooting “at an unidentified school, place and time.”

Gray stormed into Apalachee High School on Wednesday armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, killing four people – two students and two teachers – and wounding nine others. Police have confirmed he will be tried as an adult for murder.

This is the 45th school shooting this year and the deadliest so far. In 2024, the United States has seen 385 mass shootings — those in which at least four victims are shot — according to the Gun Violence Archive, an organization that catalogues such incidents in the country.