Father of Georgia school shooter sentenced to 15 years in landmark case

Days after a teenager was sentenced to life in prison for killing four people at a Georgia high school in 2024, his father was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing the gun used in the mass shooting.

Colin Gray, 55, was convicted in March on 27 counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and cruelty to children after less than two hours of deliberations. His son Colt Gray, 16, pleaded guilty to 55 charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children following the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School.

The elder Gray testified during his roughly two-week-long trial that he gave his son the rifle as a Christmas present, but had no idea he was capable of carrying out a mass shooting. "I struggle with it every day," he said during the emotional testimony.

Meanwhile, prosecutors argued that Colin Gray should have known the danger his son posed. The case was "about who armed Colt and who enabled him to do what he did," prosecutor Patricia Brooks told jurors in her closing arguments.

Colin Gray's case marked the first time in Georgia history a parent of a school shooter was charged and convicted in connection with the attack, according to both the prosecution and defense. Judge Nicholas Primm acknowledged the historic and "divisive nature of the case," before sentencing Colin Gray.

Primm said Colin Gray "failed as a parent" and that it became "more and more obvious that something bad was going to happen" in the lead up to the shooting. Still, Primm said, it was important that Gray did not actually know what his son was planning and didn’t intentionally commit a crime.

"It matters that you didn’t seek to harm anyone," Primm said. "It matters that you didn’t pull a trigger."

Colin Gray is not the first parent in the United States to be charged in connection with a school shooting, but the charges he was convicted of and punishment he faced are more severe, thanks in part to a specific and relatively new Georgia law. The most serious charge, second-degree murder, is punishable by up to 30 years in prison in Georgia, less than murder but more than involuntary manslaughter.

While the particular charges will vary case-by-case, legal experts told USA TODAY that his conviction may encourage more prosecutors nationwide to pursue similar cases. (Source: USA Today)