Father Testifies He Gave Rifle to Bond — Trial Focuses on Colt Gray
The father of the teenager accused in the Apalachee High School massacre took the stand Friday, testifying that he bought and gifted a rifle to bond with his son, colt gray. The testimony matters now because jurors are weighing whether those choices and a string of purchases directly enabled the Sept. 4, 2024 shooting that killed four people and wounded nine others.
Colin Gray’s Testimony on the Christmas Gift and Family Efforts
Colin Gray, 55, described presenting a rifle to his then-14-year-old son after family holiday gifts, telling the court he hoped hunting and range outings would create a space for open conversation. He said he told his son to shoot the weapon at the range and that if the boy kept attending school and doing well, the gun would be his when he turned 18.
On the witness stand, Gray recounted taking the boy to shooting ranges, to hunt deer, playing golf with him, and buying a guitar to encourage his interests. He also testified that he had been visited by local law enforcement after the FBI alerted authorities to an online Discord conversation that implicated the teenager in discussions about school shootings. Jackson County sheriffs spoke with Gray before the attack, he said, and he told investigators he had warned his son when he learned of past troubling behavior in middle school.
Prosecutors Present Purchases, Records and Charges
Prosecutors have shown jurors financial records and transaction slips that they say connect Colin Gray to the weapon recovered after the Sept. 4, 2024 attack. Court evidence includes two firearms payments: an initial $350 on Nov. 11, 2023, and a later payment of $559. 50 on Nov. 17, 2023, tied to the SIG Sauer M400 purchased from Mike’s Gun Room in Winder. A firearms transaction form bearing the rifle’s serial number was entered into evidence; the document also contained a printed warning about federal age requirements for rifle purchases.
In addition to the rifle purchase, prosecutors showed receipts and orders for ammunition and accessories bought throughout 2024 at retailers including Academy Sports and Outdoors: a sight mark, a bungee sling, a 20-round box of ammunition, a cleaning kit, a tactical vest and several aiming and lighting accessories. Barrow County District Attorney Investigator Ashley Gilleland testified about the pattern of purchases and connection of the serial number on the transaction form to the weapon recovered after the shooting.
The focus on financial records and physical evidence follows the charges pending against father and son. Colin Gray faces 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 20 counts of cruelty to children and five counts of reckless conduct. The teenager faces 55 counts, including multiple murder and aggravated assault charges tied to the deaths of two students, two teachers and wounds suffered by nine others; victims’ names placed in evidence include students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn and teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall.
Warnings, Parenting Struggles and the Court’s Decisions
On cross-examination, prosecutors pressed Gray over what he knew of his son’s middle-school behavior — incidents such as drawings of extremist symbols and fights that prosecutors say were missed or not fully shared with school officials. Gray testified he had spoken with school counselors and social workers and that he had struggled as a single parent during part of the period before the shooting. The teenager’s mother, Marcee Gray, testified in earlier proceedings that she had urged guns be locked up; other testimony indicated the rifle remained in the boy’s bedroom in the days before the attack.
Judge Nicholas Primm has told the defendant that no one can force him to testify; the judge confirmed he would ask Gray at the start of the following morning whether he still intended to take the stand. Gray has been held in custody even after an earlier bond hearing in which he was granted bail. What makes this notable is the combination of a documented commercial trail of firearm purchases, law-enforcement contact prompted by an FBI tip, and the father’s own admissions about gifting and using the rifle to try to connect with his son—facts jurors must now weigh as cause and effect in determining criminal responsibility.
