Why a Warning Failed to Prevent the Georgia School Shooting

Keep your firearms secured.

This was the message delivered to Colin Gray by sheriff’s deputies when they came to investigate a threat of a school shooting in May 2023. Now, sixteen months later, Gray’s 14-year-old son, Colt, is accused of carrying out a tragic shooting at his high school, resulting in the deaths of two students and two teachers, with an additional nine individuals injured.

Colin Gray and his son are currently in custody. Colin faces serious charges including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children, as he allegedly provided his son with access to firearms despite being aware of the potential threat he posed to others.

Experts suggest that the failures in preventing this tragedy can be traced back to the limitations that law enforcement faces in preventing mass shootings. Adam Winkler, a law professor and gun policy authority at UCLA, highlighted that in a society abundant with firearms, it’s challenging to prevent such violent incidents from occurring. He stressed, “We have to be realistic about what you can accomplish in a society that has over 400 million guns.”

A misunderstanding has arisen regarding the FBI’s involvement with the suspected shooter. Katherine Schweit, a former FBI agent, clarified that having been flagged by the FBI does not mean that law enforcement brings an individual under constant scrutiny. “Because somebody interacts with law enforcement doesn’t give law enforcement the authority – federal, state, or local – to constantly re-investigate someone,” she stated.

In May 2023, local law enforcement was informed about threats made on the social platform Discord, which seemed to be connected to an account linked to Colin Gray and his son from a previous address in Jefferson, Georgia. During their inquiry, the then 13-year-old Colt denied making the threats and claimed that he had deleted his Discord account due to hacking incidents. Despite tracing attempts, officers could not validate that the threats originated from him, as the account had been accessed from various locations throughout the United States.

Colin Gray acknowledged having rifles for hunting but reported that his son did not have unsupervised access to them. Daniel Miller Jr., the lead investigator, documented that he advised Colin to keep his firearms securely locked away. However, without definitive proof about who authored the threat and following the teenage denials, authorities deemed the case “exceptionally cleared.”

“At this time, due to the inconsistent nature of the information received, the allegation that Colt or Colin is responsible cannot be substantiated,” Miller noted in his report. The FBI confirmed that the county had alerted schools to monitor Colt but insisted there was insufficient probable cause to warrant further law enforcement action.

Schweit underscored the challenges law enforcement faces when evaluating threats. “You can’t simply arrest everyone based on potential threats; we don’t operate that way in our society,” she stated. Compounding the issue is Georgia’s lack of a “red flag” law, which could have allowed confiscation of firearms from individuals deemed a threat.

This case has raised important questions about accountability when it comes to preventing school shootings. Some prosecutors are now advocating for holding parents responsible when their children perpetrate violent crimes using their firearms. Colin Gray’s situation marks only the second time in the U.S. that a parent has been criminally charged for a mass school shooting carried out by their child.

In a similar case just months ago, Jennifer and James Crumbley were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for their roles connected to their son’s shooting at a Michigan high school.

Experts assert that the warning issued to Colin Gray in May may not have produced immediate actions like arrests or firearm confiscation, yet it served to alert him to the potential dangers of his son’s access to guns. This notification indicated to parents that they needed to be vigilant. Schweit noted that signs of trouble often go unnoticed by law enforcement alone; communities must also be alert to troubled individuals and their access to firearms.

“Each time there is a shooting, we see failures. There’s no doubt about that,” Schweit remarked. “We need greater awareness regarding individuals with access to firearms who may be struggling with various issues.”

Source: USA TODAY