Apalachee High School Shooting: Mother's Urgent Warning Before Tragedy

The mother of the suspected shooter at Apalachee High School in Georgia contacted the school to alert them of an "extreme emergency" before the fatal incident that claimed the lives of two teachers and two students.

The mother of the 14-year-old suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia has revealed that she called the school to warn of an impending disaster minutes before the incident occurred.

According to a screenshot viewed by the Washington Post, Marcee Gray texted her sister, Annie Brown, shortly after the September 4th shooting unfolded. In the text, Gray stated that she had notified the school counselor about an "extreme emergency" and requested them to immediately locate her son, Colt Gray.

Apalachee High School Shooting: Mother's Urgent Warning Before Tragedy

Brown, the suspect's aunt, told the Post that her sister had learned concerning information about her son and contacted the school fearing a potential tragedy. However, she declined to provide details about the specific information that sparked the mother's concern.

Brown confirmed the reporting to the Associated Press on Saturday but refrained from further comment. A call log from the family's shared phone plan showed a 10-minute call from Marcee Gray to the school that began at 9:50 a.m., approximately 30 minutes before witnesses alleged that Colt Gray opened fire.

Apalachee High School Shooting: Mother's Urgent Warning Before Tragedy

Two students, 14-year-olds Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, along with two teachers, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Cristina Irimie, were killed in the shooting. Nine others, including eight students and one teacher, sustained injuries, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Brown informed the Post that a school counselor relayed to Marcee Gray that Colt Gray had been discussing a school shooting that morning. Around the same time that the mother contacted the school, an administrator visited Colt Gray's math classroom, according to another student in the class, Lyela Sayarath.

Apalachee High School Shooting: Mother's Urgent Warning Before Tragedy

However, there was confusion between Colt Gray and another student with a similar name. Neither Colt Gray nor the other student was present in the classroom, and the administrator left with a backpack belonging to the other student shortly before the shooting began.

In an earlier interview with the Post, Brown expressed her belief that her nephew had been seeking help from those around him but had been neglected. "The adults around him failed him," she stated.

Apalachee High School Shooting: Mother's Urgent Warning Before Tragedy

Screenshots provided to the Post also revealed that Brown had sent a text message indicating that her mother, the suspect's grandmother, had met with a school counselor to seek assistance. A week prior to the shooting, the grandmother texted, saying that Colt Gray was starting therapy the following day.

According to the Post, citing Barrow County Superior Court records, Marcee Gray pled guilty to a family violence charge in December and was ordered not to contact her husband, Colin Gray, the suspect's father.

Colin Gray, 54, was apprehended on Thursday on charges of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children for allegedly knowingly allowing his son access to a weapon. The teen suspect is being prosecuted as an adult and faces four counts of felony murder.

In May 2023, Colin Gray informed investigators that his son had been struggling with the separation of his parents and had been subjected to bullying at school.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.