Accused Georgia school shooter Colt Gray’s aunt ‘worried’ that nephew was behind bloodshed
A woman claiming to be Colt Gray’s aunt told police she was “worried” her nephew was the gunman responsible for the Georgia high school shooting in the hours after the bloodshed, according to a report.
Through tears, the woman told police Gray sent an ominous text to his mother before four people were killed at Apalachee High School — which announced Friday it would remain closed until Sept. 23.
“Hey, um, my mom just texted me and said that my nephew texted his mom and dad this morning and told them that he was really sorry and he goes to the high school, Apalachee,” Gray’s aunt told police, who only gave the name Annie, according to dispatch reports obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Annie’s call was timestamped at 11:46 a.m. on Sept. 4, nearly an hour and a half after Gray allegedly used an AR-15 rifle his father gave him for Christmas to slaughter two students and two teachers.
By the time the woman called, the teenager was already in police custody, but his identity was still under wraps.
“My mom just called me and said that Colt texted his mom, my sister, and his dad that he was sorry, and they called the school and told the counselor to go get him immediately, and then she said she saw that there had been a shooting and I’m just worried it was him,” Annie said in the call.
Annie desperately asked the dispatcher to get in contact with her sister, who she identified as Marcee, before giving her sister’s phone number.
The dispatcher then promised to have someone get in contact with her.
The call corroborates The Post’s previous reporting that Gray sent Marcee Gray a message reading: I’m sorry, mom” before he allegedly carried out the massacre.
After getting Colt’s text, Marcee rushed into her car and tried to warn school administrators about the haunting behavior — but school staff wrongly removed the backpack of another kid with a similar name who also was out of the room shortly before gunfire erupted.
Four people were killed in the shooting, students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, math teacher Cristina Irimie, 53, and assistant football coach Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39. Nine others were injured.
Apalachee High School announced Friday it is planning a “phased return to school” for the week of Sept. 23 — more than two weeks after the tragedy.
The school will provide on-campus mental health support and space for relocated classes as students return to the classroom, Principal Jessica Rehberg said in a message to the community.
About 1,900 students attend Apalachee High School.
The tragic Georgia high school shooting: Here’s what’s known so far
- High school shooting suspect warned he will face life in prison as dad sobs uncontrollably as they face judge after bloody school assault
- Dad of alleged Ga. school shooter Colt Gray arrested, hit with murder and manslaughter charges: officials
- Accused Ga. school shooter Colt Gray, 14, received gun used in massacre as Christmas gift from dad — months after online threats probe: sources
- Who are the four victims of the Apalachee High School shooting?
- Georgia school shooting suspect’s father called 2023 visit by police over online threats ‘bull—-‘: audio
“I know that you, like me, are experiencing a range of emotions and trying to make sense of the tragedy that struck our community,” Rehberg wrote. “While we may never have the perfect words or answers to satisfy the questions and challenges that face us, I believe we are better together.”
All other schools in Barrow County reopened on Tuesday, after closing for three days following the shooting.
Gray, who reportedly told authorities “I did it” immediately after the event, was charged as an adult with four counts of murder.
His father, Colin Gray, was also arrested for giving a weapon to his troubled son. He was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
