A 2023 FBI interview with a teenager, now accused of a deadly shooting at his Georgia high school, has come under scrutiny. Colt Gray, a student at Apalachee, is expected to face murder charges and be tried as an adult, according to law enforcement officials.
The FBI had been alerted to potential online threats from Gray in May 2023, which prompted an investigation. After tracing the threats, the agency referred the case to the Jackson County sheriff’s department, which shares a border with Barrow County.
A subsequent interview with Gray, then 13, and his father revealed that while there were firearms in their home, the teenager did not have unrestricted access to them. Gray denied making any online threats, and at the time, there was insufficient evidence to charge him with a crime.
Retired FBI Special Agent Bobby Chacon noted that without a committed crime, authorities’ hands were tied. “The key is, has a crime been committed? If not, the only course of action is to alert the school to keep a close eye on the student,” Chacon explained. “The school can provide additional support, such as counseling or psychological services. That’s the extent of the authorities’ power, absent a crime.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is also examining whether the state’s Division of Family and Children’s Services, which had prior contact with Gray, may have any connection to the shooting. Meanwhile, investigators are still working to determine how Gray obtained the gun used in the shooting and how it was brought into the school, located in a rapidly growing suburban area on the outskirts of Atlanta.
