US school shooting: Arrested father bought gun used by suspected Georgia shooter as ‘holiday present’

The father of the 14-year-old, who is suspected of having killed four people during a school shooting in Georgia state of the USA on Wednesday, has been arrested with authorities saying he ‘knowingly allowed his son’ to have the weapon.

The arrested person was identified as Colin Gray.

Gray has been arrested with four counts of Involuntary Manslaughter, two charges of Second Degree Murder and eight of Cruelty to Children, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Meanwhile, his son Colt Gray was charged with four counts of felony murder in connection to the shooting at Apalachee High School, an incident which left the country shocked.

“He was taken to the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center. Additional charges are expected,” GBI said in a statement.

He is expected to be produced in court on Friday.

Gun as holiday present

Before the charges against Colin Gray were announced Thursday, two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN that the father informed authorities that he purchased the AR-style rifle used in the Apalachee High School shooting as a holiday present for his son in December 2023.

Investigation is ongoing

GBI said the investigation into the shooting at Apalachee High School is still active and ongoing.

Victims identified

Two students and two teachers died in the shooting incident in the school which is located in Winder city.

GBI identified the two deceased students as Mason Schermerhorn (14) and Christian Angulo (14).

The teachers, who lost their lives in the shooting incident, were identified as Richard Aspinwall (39) and Cristina Irimie (53).

This was the 45th mass shooting in a US school in 2024.

It was the deadliest shooting incident since March 2023 when six people died after a gunman attacked The Covenant School in Nashville.

In a statement, US President Joe Biden earlier said: “Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed. What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart.”

“Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write,” he said.

In his strong message, Biden said such situations could not continue to happen as normal.

“We cannot continue to accept this as normal,” he said.

Gun shootings in various schools and colleges across the USA have occurred for the past two decades.