Georgia High-School Shooting: Colt Gray Faces Murder Charges in Court

Colt Gray, a 14-year-old suspected of a deadly high-school shooting in Georgia, appeared in court facing murder charges for killing four people and injuring nine. His father, Colin Gray, also faces charges for negligence. The incident has reignited debates on gun control in the U.S.

Suspected Georgia high-school shooter Colt Gray made his first appearance in state court, where he faces murder charges stemming from Wednesday's rampage that killed four people and wounded nine others. The 14-year-old, who was being held without bond in the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, did not enter a plea in front of Barrow County Superior Court Judge Currie Mingledorff.

Judge Mingledorff informed Gray of the four counts of felony murder, noting that he could face the death penalty if convicted. Gray, shackled during the hearing, communicated with nods while seated beside his attorney. His father, Colin Gray, is also facing multiple charges including involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI stated, "Colin Gray knowingly allowed his son, Colt Gray, to possess a gun. Due to the active investigation, we're unable to release further details." Authorities say Colt Gray used an AR platform-style semiautomatic rifle to carry out the attack at Apalachee High School, killing two teachers and two students.

Colt Gray was arrested by school-assigned sheriff's deputies shortly after the shooting. Investigators have yet to disclose the motive for what has become the first mass school shooting in the U.S. since the summer.

The Winder shooting, 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in a city of 18,000, has rekindled national debates on gun control and induced widespread grief. The deceased were identified as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie. The attack also wounded one teacher and eight students.

(With inputs from agencies.)