The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on Thursday revealed alleged Apalachee High School attacker Colt Gray, who is accused of killing four and injuring nine at the school on September 4, was allowed to leave his classroom by a teacher after he asked to speak with someone at the front office.
According to a GBI web page about the Apalachee High School attack, the teacher allowed Colt Gray to leave a classroom after he requested to “go to the front office and speak someone.”
The teacher, GBI explained, allowed Colt Gray “to leave and take his belongings with him.”
Instead of walking to the Apalachee High School office, GBI stated Colt Gray “went to the restroom and hid from teachers,” until he later “took out the rifle, and began shooting.”
The state law enforcement agency also confirmed the rifle authorities say Colt Gray used during the attack is the same rifle purchased legally and reportedly gifted to the teen by his father, Colin Gray, last Christmas.
According to GBI, the weapon “could not be broken down,” but Colt Gray was able to conceal the rifle in his backpack in order to bring it into Apalachee High School.
The Georgia Star News contacted GBI to ask whether Apalachee High School captured the moments after Colt Gray left the classroom and before the attack began. The agency replied, “At this point in the investigation, no video is being released due to the active case.”
Marcee Gray, the mother of Colt Gray, revealed earlier this week she was contacted by a counselor at Apalachee High School on the morning of the attack. The counselor reportedly informed the mother that Colt Gray made references to school shootings on the morning of the attack.
Family members of Colt Gray previously revealed Marcee Gray received a text message from her son, which contained an apology, on the morning of the shooting. Marcee Gray has since explained this message, combined with her intuition and the counselor’s correspondence, prompted her to call the school to report an “extreme emergency” would shortly unfold involving her son.
It was previously reported a school administrator was dispatched to the classroom where Colt Gray was expected to be, but was unable to find the 14-year-old and instead retrieved a backpack that belonged to a similarly named student.
This is likely the time period when GBI said Colt Gray was evading teachers and administrators in a bathroom.
Colt Gray remains jailed after he was charged with four counts of felony murder. Colin Gray also remains jailed after he was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of cruelty to children in relation to the Apalachee High School attack.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “High School Lockers” by Marcus Quigmire. CC BY-SA 2.0.
