Colin Gray, father of suspect in Georgia high school shooting, charged with murder, manslaughter and child abuse

The father of the 14-year-old accused of shooting two teachers and two students has been arrested in connection with the deadly Georgia school shooting that rocked the small community.

Colin Gray, the father of the 14-year-old suspect, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the incident, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced Thursday.

In addition to two counts of premeditated murder, Gray, 54, was also charged with four counts of manslaughter and eight counts of child abuse, according to the GBI.

He was arrested on Wednesday, the GBI announced during a press conference on Thursday evening.

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GBI Director Chris Hosey said this is a “difficult” time for the community.

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“As we know, this is a very difficult time for students and parents, and so many students and parents here in this district and in this state are afraid,” he said. “You all have probably heard reports of incidents where other students have made threats today at various schools across our state. In each of these incidents, police have filed charges, made arrests and acted very quickly as we take incidents like this very seriously in this state.”

Hosey urged the community to “come together and stay vigilant” following the deadly mass shooting.

“This is a time for all of us as a community and as a state to come together and remain vigilant,” he said. “Students here in this community and across the state need to be supported and encouraged to reach out to a member of their faculty with any concerns about suspicious activity they notice.”

“Local, state and federal law enforcement will continue to work together around the clock regarding this incident here and any other incidents in this state that raise concerns for the safety of our students, faculty and citizens here in the state of Georgia.”

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith announced that all nine injured people, including two teachers and seven students, would make full recoveries.

Smith implored the audience to “strengthen our community.”

“Please keep these children, these teachers,” he said. “We call them teachers, but I call them heroes.”

Source of the original article: Colin Gray, father of suspect in Georgia high school shooting, charged with murder, manslaughter and child abuse