Alleged Georgia high school shooter’s mother apologizes to victims’ families in open letter
The mother of Colt Gray, a 14-year-old accused of killing four people in a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, has penned an open letter to the families of the victims, apologizing and defending her son, saying he is “not a monster.”
Marcee Gray, mother of the accused Apalachee High School shooter.(Facebook/Marcee Gray)
The high school shooting took place last week, leaving two students and two teachers dead. Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of murder and will be tried as an adult. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Colin Gray, the boy’s father, has also been charged with 14 counts in connection with the shooting. According to investigators, Colin provided Colt with the AR-15-style rifle used in the massacre. He faces four counts of manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
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Alleged Georgia high school shooter’s mother expresses sorrow for the deceased teachers
Marcee Gray, Colt’s mother, shared the open letter with CNN: “To the parents and families of those affected by the tragic events at Apalachee High School, I want to say that I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart.”
“If I could take the place of Mason and Christian [two 14-year-olds killed in the mass shooting], I would without a second thought. As a parent, I’ve always said that the loss of one of my children would be the only thing that I wouldn’t be able to come back from. I feel all of your pain and devastation. I grieve and cry with you.”
“My heart breaks for the two teachers who gave their lives while in the service of teaching and protecting our children,” she added. The teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, died while trying to shield their students during the chaos.
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Accused Georgia high school shooter’s mom defends his son
Marcee Gray expressed her overwhelming guilt and remorse in the letter, stating, “We are all in a living nightmare right now, and I will personally never forgive myself for what has happened.”
“My son Colt is not a monster. He is my oldest baby. He is quiet, thoughtful, caring, funny, and extremely intelligent,” she wrote. She also asked for prayers for her son and her family, while offering her own prayers for the victims and their families. “Please pray for him and the rest of our family, as I am praying for all of you every moment of every day.”
The day of the shooting, Marcee Gray reportedly received a text message from Colt that simply read, “I’m sorry mom,” according to her father, Charles Polhamus, per CNN. She then and there called the school around 9:50 a.m., about half an hour before police responded to the shooting. She had reportedly warned the school of an “extreme emergency” and informed a school counsellor.
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Colt’s grandfather, Charles Polhamus, expressed his own anguish over the situation, noting that Colt as a “good kid” but blamed the influence of Colt’s father, Colin Gray, for his descent into violence. He called Colt’s father as “evil” and claimed that Colt spent years under the influence of a “dysfunctional dad who was a screamer and a hollerer.”
