Father Who Bought AR-15 for Georgia School Shooter Sentenced in Landmark Conviction

Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison, with a Georgia judge faulting him for ignoring worsening warning signs before the 2024 campus massacre.

Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm imposed concurrent prison terms on Gray, 55, saying “the warning lights were flashing brighter and brighter” ahead of the shooting and that Gray failed to cut off his son’s access to firearms or secure the mental health care he needed.

“It is clear you failed as a parent,” Primm said before announcing the sentence. “The weight of your crimes is tethered and tied to the acts of someone else, your son.”

A jury found Colin Gray guilty in March on 27 counts, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said he provided his son with the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack despite growing concerns about the teen’s mental health. Gray is the first parent of a school shooter to be convicted of murder.

The sentence followed Colt Gray’s guilty plea to all 55 charges against him. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

At Thursday’s hearing, relatives of the victims pressed the court to hand down the maximum punishment, speaking about the enduring grief left by the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting.

Shayna Aspinwall, the widow of slain teacher Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, told the court she suffers from PTSD and is raising the couple’s two daughters alone after her husband’s death.

“Our daughters must grow up without their father,” Aspinwall testified. “They will miss his guidance, his encouragement, his hugs and all the milestones he should have been here to witness — birthdays, graduations, weddings and everyday moments that make up a lifetime will forever be marked by his absence.”

She argued that while Colin Gray did not pull the trigger, his failure as a parent and gun owner helped make the tragedy possible.

In explaining the sentence, Primm said Colin Gray’s crimes stemmed from criminal negligence because he failed to intervene despite obvious warning signs. The judge said Colin Gray could have locked the family’s guns, removed the ammunition or stored the weapons elsewhere while seeking mental health treatment for his son, telling him that, had he taken those steps, “you wouldn’t be here today.”

The shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County killed teachers Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, along with students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Nine other people were injured.

Prosecutors said Colin Gray ignored warning signs about his son’s deteriorating mental health and continued providing him with access to guns, including the AR-15-style rifle authorities said was used in the attack.

Gray is among a small number of U.S. parents criminally charged in a shooting carried out by their children and the first in Georgia.

Friday marks Apalachee High School’s first day back for the new school year.

News Outlet previously reported that Colt Gray pleaded guilty after initially pleading not guilty to the charges. Before accepting the plea, Judge Primm questioned the teen to ensure he understood the consequences, with Gray responding, “Yes, your honor,” to each question.