Father of 14-year-old school shooting suspect charged with murder: here's why

The father of the 14-year-old accused of shooting and killing two teachers and two students at a Georgia high school is now facing charges in connection with the shooting.

Colin Gray, 54, was arrested Thursday and charged with second-degree murder.

"His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon," Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said at a news conference . "He knowingly allowed him to possess the weapon."

In addition to murder, Gray is also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children.

Gray's 14-year-old son, Colt, is charged as an adult with four counts of felony murder after investigators say he fired an AR-style rifle at Apalachee High School outside Atlanta on Wednesday morning, killing four people.

The victims include fellow students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.

Nine others were injured, all but two of whom were shot.

Authorities have not yet said how the teen accessed the weapon or brought it into the school. A motive has also not been revealed.

The father and son appeared in back-to-back court hearings Friday morning where their lawyers declined to seek bail, The Associated Press reported. Both will remain in custody.

The older Gray is being held at the Barrow County Detention Center while the teen was taken to the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center.

Authorities have said additional charges are expected to be filed.

Colt Gray was previously investigated by local police in May 2023 after law enforcement received tips about online threats to commit a school shooting, the FBI said. During the interview, the teen denied making threats. His father said there were hunting guns in the house but that the boy could not access them unsupervised. Police deemed there was no probable cause to make an arrest.

Federal agents are investigating whether Colin Gray bought the AR-style gun used in the shooting as a gift for his son in December 2023, law enforcement sources told CBS News . That would have been just seven months after they were interviewed by police about shooting threats.

Georgia has some of the least strict gun laws in the nation, according to a CBS News analysis. Under Georgia law, minors are prohibited from possessing handguns but there is no minimum age to possess a rifle or shotgun. Individuals must be at least 18 to purchase handguns, shotguns and rifles in Georgia, but they are not required to have a permit or register their firearms with the government.