Body camera video released of suspected shooter Colt Gray and his father (VIDEO)
Apalachee High School shooting: Police ignored FBI warnings, leaving four dead in state's deadliest attack.
2024-09-12T11:00:24+00:00- Police Ignored FBI Warning About Colt Gray.
- Father Gave Access to Weapons.
- Four Dead in School Shooting.
Shocking footage of the moment police missed their best chance to stop school shooting suspect Colt Gray in Georgia has been released, five days after the attack that left four dead.
Officers from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office visited the family home in Jefferson in May of last year.
They had been warned by the FBI that Colt had threatened a school shooting in a message on the gaming platform Discord.
The video begins with an officer asking if his son plays «a lot of computer games and things like that.»
Father Admits to Accessibility of Weapons
«Yes, he does, all the time,» Gray responds.
«Do you think there’s something he wants…?» the officer asks.
«I want to know, of course,» Gray insists as he opens his can.
He nods when the officer asks if there are weapons in the house and admits «yes, they are,» when asked if they are accessible to Colt.
Body camera footage shows Colt’s father casually drinking an energy drink on the porch, admitting that his then 13-year-old son had access to unsecured weapons in the house.
«I mean, nothing’s loaded, but they’re there,» he explains. «Actually, we do a lot of shooting, hunt a lot of deer, he shot his first deer this year.»
When directly asked about the school shooting threats, Gray responds, «I don’t know anything about him saying stuff like that.»
«I’ll be mad as hell if he did, and then all the guns will be gone. They won’t be accessible to him.»
Father Acknowledges Colt Gray’s Access to Guns, Warns «This Isn’t a Joke»
The father asked the officers to tell Colt that «this isn’t a joke.»
The video shows Gray acknowledging that his son plays video games «all the time.»
He confirms there are guns in the house and admits they are accessible to Colt.
«I want to know too,» Gray insists when asked if he thinks there could be a motive.
«You know, I’m trying to be honest with him,» he continues.
«I’m trying to teach him about firearms and safety and how to do everything, and get him interested in the outdoors, like getting him away from his phone.»
«Get him away from those video games,» the officer laughs.
«Exactly,» Colt’s father responds.
In the video, Colt Gray, then a high school student, denies the threats and claims his account was hacked.
However, the footage shows Colt nervously swaying as he denies making online threats.
«Did you say anything about shooting up a school?» the officer asks.
«Never, I just said, I don’t know, maybe they misinterpreted someone else, I don’t remember saying…» the boy responds.
«Do you use Discord?» the officer asks.
«Discord?»
«Yes, sir,» the officer says.
«Um, I used to, I don’t have it anymore.»
«When was the last time you used it?» they ask.
«Um, maybe a few months ago…»
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He said he deleted it because «I think they stole my password or something, like I clicked on a link and someone…»
«It’s not like I’m trying to get anyone in trouble or anything,» the officer says, «but this is something serious.»
Father Defends Colt Gray and Downplays the Severity of the Allegations
«Oh, he knows how serious this is, trust me,» Gray interrupts.
Colt insisted he never saw any threats about a shooting on the platform, and his father seemed eager to wrap up the interview as the officer summarized what had been said.
«He’s telling me he didn’t do it,» the officer says.
«Yes,» Gray responds, now leaning against a wall.
«Is he telling me he doesn’t remember any of that?»
«Yes,» confirms the father.
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«I’m taking your word for it,» the officer tells Colt. «If you look me in the eye and tell me that’s what you’re saying…»
Colt nods as the officer admits, «I have no choice but to take your word right now.»
«But like I was telling your father, if we find out otherwise, then it’s a different story.»
«It’s a really different story,» his father growls.
Both Colt and his father appeared in Barrow County Superior Court, handcuffed and shackled.
Colt reportedly told police «I did it» when read his rights after his arrest.
The case has sparked outrage as the victims’ families seek justice.