In what promises to be a landmark case, a Barrow County, Georgia jury took only two hours to find Colin Gray, 55, guilty of charges including second-degree murder and cruelty to children in connection with the September 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School. His son is charged with the shooting itself but has not yet gone to trial.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray ignored warning signs of his son’s potential violence and allowed him access to the high-capacity weapon used in the shooting. Jurors were shown pictures of the son’s bedroom, which had pictures of the Parkland, Fla. school shooter on the wall. That shooter killed 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Feb. 2018.
The case has precedent: Gray’s conviction joins that of James and Jennifer Crumbley, who were found guilty in 2024 of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2021 deadly shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit by their son.