The mother of the teenager suspected of killing four people at his Georgia high school last week has reportedly released a letter that apologizes to the victims’ families and defends her son as “not a monster.”
“To the parents and families of those affected by the tragic events at Apalachee High School, I want to say that I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart,” wrote Marcee Gray, according to CNN’s review of the letter Wednesday.
Gray said that if she could, she would change places “without a second thought” with the two students who were killed, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. She added that her “heart breaks” for the two teachers, Cristina Irimie, 52, and Richard Aspinwall, 39, who were also killed.
“We are all in a living nightmare right now, and I will personally never forgive myself for what has happened,” her letter continued, per CNN. “My son Colt is not a monster. He is my oldest baby. He is quiet, thoughtful, caring, funny, and extremely intelligent. Please pray for him and the rest of our family, as I am praying for all of you every moment of every day.”
Gray’s son, 14-year-old Colt Gray, has been charged as an adult with four counts of murder in the Sept. 4 attack. His father ― who authorities say knowingly allowed his son access to the semiautomatic assault-style rifle used in the shooting ― is also behind bars and facing multiple felony counts.
Marcee Gray has said that she tried to warn her son’s school about Colt just minutes before the shooting broke out.
Jessica McGowan via Getty Images
In an interview with ABC News, she said her son texted ominous warnings to his father and her on the morning of the shooting. She said she called her son’s school and urged a school resource officer to check on him.
“You need to go, like, run to the classroom,” she said she told the school.
Gray said she was told that one of Colt’s teachers had written an email to the school’s principal earlier that morning, saying Colt had made references to a school shooting.
JS has reached out to Gray but did not immediately receive a response.
Colt and his father were investigated by the Jackson County sheriff’s department last year over similar concerns. The teen was accused of posting threats to carry out a school shooting on the gaming platform Discord.
When interviewed by deputies, Colt denied making any such threats, as seen in body camera footage of the interaction that was released this week.
Authorities said they weren’t able to definitively link the teen to the threats, and so he was never charged.
