By: Nelson Kramer

Humor Editor 

On Sept. 4, 14-year-old Colt Gray left his second-period math class around 9:45 am at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Gray returned to campus around 10:20 am, and was reportedly seen with a “AR-15 style semi-automatic” assault rifle at the same time. A slow morning suddenly turned into a living nightmare as Gray shot and killed two students, two staff and injured nine others. 

The school went into immediate lockdown, and teachers across campus activated panic buttons, notifying the police soon after. “The screen … said ‘hard lockdown’ in big red words, and the top light started flashing,” explained Layla Ferrell, a junior at Apalachee High School. Due to the proximity to the start of the school year, many thought it was a drill. The school needed to carry out at least one active shooter drill by Oct. 1, but for many, the sounds of gunshots were all too real, especially in J hall, where the shooting occurred.

Gray surrendered himself to the police and was arrested only a few minutes after he began shooting. During his first court appearance, two days after the shooting, the judge charged him with four counts of murder and decided to try him as an adult. Mr. Gray, the father of Colt Gray, appeared in court on the morning of Sept. 6, separate from his son. The judge announced that he will charge Mr. Gray with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second-degree. Georgia police released a statement about the 13 injured, saying that multiple of the victims are on track to make a full recovery.

The morning of the shooting Marcee Gray, Colt’s mother, received a text from him reading, “I’m sorry, mom.” When Ms. Gray called the school, a counselor told her that she received an email from one of Colt’s teachers who was worried about him, as Colt had been interrupting the class by making references to a school shooting. Ms. Gray later said in a text message to her sister: “I don’t know what took them so long.” Ms. Gray reportedly hasn’t seen her son since the shooting and is extremely distraught about the events. 

As the investigation continues, authorities figured out that there were warning signs leading up to the catastrophic shooting. The school received an anonymous call from someone who said there would be school shootings at five different schools that same day. Apalachee High School would be the first on the list. No other school shootings have happened in the area since.

Not everything about this case is known yet. Law enforcement have begun an investigation to fill in the gaps. Along with the investigation, this case will eventually go to trial, but there is no court date set.

(Sources: ABC, AP News, CBS, CNN, WABE, NYTimes, WABE)