A devastating school shooting in Georgia has stunned the community, as new information suggests a potential opportunity to avert the tragedy may have been overlooked.
According to the New York Post, the mother of the suspect, Colt Gray, had apparently alerted school authorities about her son’s conduct mere moments before the tragic incident at Apalachee High School.
Marcee Gray, the mother of the 14-year-old suspect, expressed her intuition that something was amiss with her son.
In an interview with ABC News, she disclosed that Colt’s teachers had observed concerning behavior that morning, including mentions of violence.
She reached out to the school’s counselor, who confirmed the concerns from a teacher’s email. Marcee recalled telling the counselor, “Between my gut feelings, the text messages, and now this email, you need to, like, run to the classroom.”
Despite multiple warnings, Colt Gray reportedly started shooting around 30 minutes later, resulting in the deaths of two students and two teachers, and injuries to nine others.
The school’s resource officers were said to be searching for Colt, but a mix-up with a student who had a similar name delayed their response.
This tragic event has led to significant concerns about the reaction time and decisions made by school staff.
A phone log from Marcee’s family plan shows that she made a 10-minute call to the school at 9:50 a.m., just 30 minutes before Colt allegedly initiated the attack.
Annie Brown, the sister of Marcee, also attested in interviews that Marcee had informed the school of a “severe emergency” and instructed them to promptly check on her son.
However, it seems that a mistake in identifying the student may have impeded the response.
A fellow student of Colt’s, Lyela Sayarath, recounted that a school official entered the math classroom searching for the suspect but mistakenly took another student’s backpack, assuming it belonged to Colt due to the similarity in their names.
Sadly, the shooting commenced just minutes after this misunderstanding.
This isn’t the first time concerns were raised about Colt’s mental state. Family members said the school and Gray’s family had been in contact about Colt’s mental health a week prior, when he was reportedly experiencing “homicidal and suicidal thoughts.”
As reported by the Washington Post, the school district has remained tight-lipped on specifics, with Barrow County School System Superintendent Dallas LeDuff saying their focus is on healing the community.
As investigations continue, Marcee Gray expressed her sorrow for the victims’ families, stating, “I am so, so sorry and can not fathom the pain and suffering they are going through right now.”
