US school shooting suspect, 14, quizzed about threats last year
US school shooting suspect, 14, quizzed about threats last year
US school shooting suspect, 14, quizzed about threats last year
A 14-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, was previously interviewed by police about anonymous online threats, the FBI revealed. In May 2023, Colt Gray denied involvement in posts featuring images of guns and warnings of a potential school shooting. However, on Wednesday, the suspect opened fire at the school, killing two teachers, Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, and two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Additionally, eight students and one teacher were injured.
Gray was arrested on campus and will be tried as an adult. He used an "AR-platform style weapon" during the attack, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Chris Hosey.
The FBI disclosed that in May 2023, its National Threat Operations Center had received anonymous tips about online threats to carry out a school shooting. Local authorities were alerted, and sheriff's deputies interviewed the boy and his father. Although the father admitted to having hunting guns at home, he assured officials that Gray did not have unsupervised access to them. With no concrete evidence at the time, law enforcement did not have grounds for an arrest but notified local schools to monitor the situation.
Sheriff Jud Smith described the incident as "pure evil" and praised officers for responding swiftly. The suspect surrendered immediately when confronted by officers at the scene. Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the attack.
Students recalled the terrifying events as alerts went out during class. One student, Lyela Sayarath, who was in the suspect's algebra class, said he had left the room and returned with a gun. After a student refused to let him back into the room, the suspect entered the classroom next door and began shooting.
The FBI disclosed that in May 2023, its National Threat Operations Center had received anonymous tips about online threats to carry out a school shooting. Local authorities were alerted, and sheriff's deputies interviewed the boy and his father. Although the father admitted to having hunting guns at home, he assured officials that Gray did not have unsupervised access to them. With no concrete evidence at the time, law enforcement did not have grounds for an arrest but notified local schools to monitor the situation.
Sheriff Jud Smith described the incident as "pure evil" and praised officers for responding swiftly. The suspect surrendered immediately when confronted by officers at the scene. Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the attack.
Students recalled the terrifying events as alerts went out during class. One student, Lyela Sayarath, who was in the suspect's algebra class, said he had left the room and returned with a gun. After a student refused to let him back into the room, the suspect entered the classroom next door and began shooting.
Marques Coleman, 14, witnessed the suspect carrying a large gun and heard about 10 shots as his teacher barricaded the door with desks. He described seeing classmates severely injured.
A vigil was held in Winder, a city of 18,000 residents located about 50 miles from Atlanta. This shooting marks the 23rd school shooting in the US in 2024, with 11 fatalities and 38 injuries reported so far, according to a database by *Education Week*. David Riedman, who manages the K-12 School Shooting Database, told *Reuters* that this was the first planned school attack of the autumn term.
Post a Comment