Georgia shooting suspect's grandmother visited school one day before massacre to discuss his behavioral issues, family says
The maternal grandmother of the 14-year-old suspect in the deadly Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Georgia, visited the school the day before the massacre to discuss the suspect's alleged behavioral issues, the family revealed to CBS News Saturday.
"My wife had gone up there…the day before and met with the teachers to get him some, they were having some problems with him not going to school, and this kind of thing," Charlie Polhamus, the maternal grandfather of suspect Colt Gray, told CBS News in a phone interview. "So, my wife went up there. This was the day before all this stuff happened."
Polhamus was unsure what occurred during that visit, but said it did not appear to have resulted in a suspension.
He also disclosed the suspect texted his mother, Marcee Gray, on the morning of the shooting.
"Marcee got a text on the phone from Colt saying, 'I'm sorry, mother.' And I…didn't know what was going on," Polhamus said. "And then we heard on the news of the shooting."
Two teachers and two students were killed in Wednesday's shooting at Apalachee High in northern Georgia's Barrow County, and another nine people were wounded.
Polhamus told CBS News he has been dealing with conflicting emotions since the shooting, love for his grandson and disgust over the crime he's accused of committing.
"He pulled the triggers," Polhamus said. "He killed people and...he's my grandson, and it breaks my damn heart."
The suspect has been charged as an adult with four counts of felony murder. He made his first court appearance Friday, but has not yet entered a plea.
The boy's father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, was arrested Thursday on two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children. He also made his first court appearance Friday.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the boy's father allowed him to have access to the AR-style rifle for his son that was used in the shooting, and multiple federal law enforcement sources told CBS News this week that investigators are looking into whether the gun was purchased by Colin Gray in December 2023 as a gift for his son.
The FBI reported this week that several months prior, in May 2023, it received anonymous tips about online posts threatening a school shooting which were traced to Colt Gray. In response, sheriff's deputies with Jackson County, which neighbors Barrow County, interviewed both the suspect and his father, but did not pursue the issue further.
Local police records obtained by CBS News indicated that Gray's parents were going through a messy divorce around that time, with his mother taking custody of two other children in the divorce while the suspect stayed with his father.
Since Wednesday's tragedy, meanwhile, there's been a wave of school threats across Georgia. Law enforcement officials have now arrested more than 13 juveniles and one adult accused of making threats to schools in at least eight different counties.
The FBI on Friday deemed a majority of the social media threats non-credible, and warned that such social media posts will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
— Anna Schecter, Jared Eggleston and Amy Westerby contributed to this report.