Georgia School Shooting Could Have Been Prevented, Mother Claims

The mother of a student at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where a tragic shooting took place, has come forward claiming that the incident could have been prevented if the school had acted on information indicating the shooter was in crisis. Rabecca Sayarath expressed her belief that the school failed to take appropriate action, leading to the loss of four lives. Her daughter, Lyela Sayarath, also stated that administrators seemed to be searching for the shooter before the gunfire erupted.

However, not everyone is placing blame on the school or law enforcement officials. U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock commended the first responders and refrained from second-guessing their actions. Meanwhile, authorities have charged 14-year-old Colt Gray with four counts of murder for allegedly shooting and killing students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, as well as teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie. Eight other students and a teacher were injured, but are expected to recover.

Annie Brown, Colt Gray’s mother, reportedly contacted a school counselor and warned staff about an “extreme emergency” before the shooting occurred. Text messages provided by Brown to The Washington Post revealed that she urged the school to locate her son immediately. The call log from the family’s shared phone plan also indicated a call was made to the school prior to the shooting. Marcee Gray, Colt’s mother, expressed remorse for the tragedy and conveyed her deep sympathy to the victims’ families.

Further reports suggest that relatives had contacted the school about Colt Gray’s mental health a week before the shooting. Text messages indicated that the teen’s grandmother met with a school counselor to seek help, stating that he would start therapy the following day. Investigators have not yet determined the motive behind the shooting or whether specific victims were targeted.

Colt Gray gained access to a semiautomatic AR-15 style rifle, which was allegedly provided by his father, Colin Gray. It remains unclear how the weapon was brought onto the school campus or what transpired during the two-hour period before the shooting. Colin Gray has become the first parent of a school shooting suspect in Georgia to be charged, facing accusations of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children.

Lyela Sayarath, a student who witnessed the events, recounted that Colt Gray had left her classroom and appeared to be skipping class. Moments before the shooting, a female administrator entered the classroom searching for a student with a similar name to Gray’s. Although the student in question was not present, the administrator demanded to see his bag. When the student returned with his bag, it was determined that he was not the one being sought. Additionally, a teacher received an intercom call inquiring about Gray’s whereabouts. As students approached the locked classroom door, they witnessed Colt Gray turning away before the sound of multiple gunshots rang out.

Rabecca Sayarath criticized the school for sending an unarmed administrator to search for Colt Gray instead of utilizing the armed school resource officers. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, however, disputed this claim during a news conference, suggesting that the information provided was incorrect.

It remains uncertain whether Barrow County school authorities were aware of a previous incident involving Colt and Colin Gray in neighboring Jackson County, where they were interviewed following an online threat made by Colt Gray. No action was taken at the time due to inconsistent information about the social media account used to make the threats. Colin Gray had previously mentioned that his son had access to unloaded guns but assured investigators that he knew how to handle them responsibly. He also noted that Colt had faced difficulties since his parents’ separation and had experienced bullying at school.

The Barrow County school district declined to provide further details about the events leading up to the shooting, citing an ongoing investigation and court proceedings. District Attorney Brad Smith did not respond to inquiries seeking additional information, while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation referred all comments to the district attorney.