Those who knew the 14-year-old gunman accused of killing four people in Wednesday’s massacre at Apalachee High School have described the boy’s home life as brutal.
Colt Gray surrendered to authorities Wednesday after allegedly murdering two students and two teachers with an AR-15 style rifle he was reportedly given as a gift from his father.
The teen has since been charged with four felony counts of murder, while 54-year-old Colin Gray was hit with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of second-degree cruelty to children — all of which are felonies.
In the wake of the shooting, many said they weren’t entirely surprised the teen — who one fellow student described as fitting the “stereotype” of a school shooter — had carried out the horrific events, especially given his “absolutely horrible” home life.
On Friday, neighbor Lauren Vickers told TMZ that Child Protective Services had been called to the Gray family home around four different times. She said she accounted for at least one of those calls after witnessing Colt and his younger siblings being neglected by their parents.
She told the outlet she frequently saw Colt wearing the same clothes day after day and that the children would be locked out of the house at night, left outdoors to cry and scream.
Vickers said she saw Colt’s parents often getting into heated arguments outside the home, and that Colt’s mother, Marcee Clay, eventually moved out.
The boy’s aunt, Annie Polhamus Brown, told the outlet she can “absolutely confirm” the child had a “toxic” home life for years.
In a Facebook post expressing remorse for the victim’s families, Brown also expressed sympathy for the teenager accused of killing them, saying she had done “everything [she] could to fight for [her] nephew.”
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the boy’s mother, Brown’s sister, has a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 2007. It includes accusations of DUI, domestic violence and property damage, among other offenses.
Last November, Marcee Gray, 43, was arrested on a pair of felony drug possession charges involving meth and fentanyl. She was incarcerated as recently as April on civil fraud allegations related to the purchase of a vehicle.
The Grays also faced eviction from their home, further adding to the instability in the teen’s life, the neighbor said.
Colt’s aunt told the Washington Post the adults in her nephew’s life failed him. She said he had been “begging for months” for mental health help that never came. Brown, who lives in Florida, said she tried everything she could to get him help from afar.
Colt’s maternal grandfather, Charles Polhamus, also spoke on the conditions in which the teen was being raised, claiming his grandson experienced verbal and emotional abuse at the hands of his father.
“My grandson did what he did because of the environment that he lived in,” Polhamus told the New York Times.
He also said he had no problem with Colin Gray being charged with buying his troubled son a rifle.
“I put the blame where it belongs,” Polhamus told ABC News. “His father should be convicted as well.”
Things weren’t much better for Colt at school. In an earlier interview with law enforcement, his father said the child was bullied so heavily in junior high that he asked to change school districts.
— FBI Atlanta (@FBIAtlanta) September 4, 2024
Police with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office met with Colt and Colin Gray in May 2023 regarding alleged threats Colt made online to carry out a school shooting.
“He’s been through a lot,” Colin reportedly told investigators, but said his son assured him he’s a good kid who “would never do it.”
Authorities on Wednesday said they didn’t have enough evidence at the time that interview to make any arrests.
According to CNN, seven months after speaking with police, Colin gifted his son the gun used in Wednesday’s slaughter.