Widespread interest surrounding parents Marcee and Colin Gray was sparked almost immediately after their teenage son was identified as the Apalachee High School shooter.

Both Colt Gray, 14, and his father Colin Gray, 54, have been charged in the shooting and were both arraigned on Friday. Colt Gray will tried as an adult.

Killed in the mass shooting were students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. Eight other students and one teacher were injured and are expected to make a full recovery.

In a police report obtained by Newsweek, Colin Gray told officials in 2023 that his family was evicted from their prior address in Jefferson, Georgia. He and Marcee Gray were divorced, and she took the two younger kids while he and Colt moved together.

Who is Marcee Gray?

According to her LinkedIn profile, Marcee Gray graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Technology in Industrial Management and got her Master of Science in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia Southern University. Her last listed work experience was as a Senior Quality Engineer at PCC Airfoils from January 2021 to September 2021.

The LinkedIn profile’s picture includes a young photo of Colt and his two siblings. Marcee Gray’s bio reads, “Continual improvement is my obsession. People, processes, product design, facilities, efficiency, morale – bring me your problems and I will find a solution.”

However, Marcee Gray also reportedly has a long criminal history dating back to March 2007 with five vehicle-related misdemeanors, including reckless driving, improper right turn, and DUI, according to The Independent.

Marcee Gray has reportedly been prosecuted in Georgia counties Barrow, Fulton, and Forsyth for charges including domestic violence, drug possession, property damage, and traffic violations. Additionally, she has faced civil fraud charges related to a vehicle purchase and was in jail in Ben Hill County as recently as April, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Marcee Gray reportedly pleaded guilty and paid a $600 fine in 2008, receiving 12 months probation and 40 hours of community service. She completed her probation in August 2010.

In 2019, an auto dealer sued her for writing a bad check as a down payment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Most recently, Marcee Gray was reportedly arrested on felony drug possession charges in November when police discovered her in her car with a “glass jar containing a crystal-like substance identified as methamphetamine,” multiple outlets report.

The warrant also described the presence of a “red clear baggie with a powdery substance identified as fentanyl,” “a clear glass pipe used for narcotics,” cyclobenzaprine tablets in a baggie, and the use of a license plate belonging to someone else on her vehicle.

Who is Colin Gray?

Colin Gray also appeared in court on Friday after he was also on murder charges stemming from the Apalachee High School shooting.

The father reportedly told investigators he bought Colt Gray the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting for Christmas in December 2023.

In May 2023, the FBI interviewed Colin and Colt Gray after receiving tips that the teen had allegedly made threats on Discord about shooting up a middle school. According to a police report obtained by Newsweek, Colin Gray mentioned that his son had issues at West Jackson Middle School in Hoschton, Georgia, and later transferred to Jefferson Middle School about 17 minutes away, where things improved.

Colin Gray stated that while he had hunting rifles at home, Colt Gray was not permitted to use them unsupervised. The FBI also spoke with Colt Gray, who appeared “calm and reserved.” At the time, the 13-year-old explained that he had previously owned a Discord account but had deleted it before moving in with his father due to frequent hacking. Discord is a platform used for real-time text, video, and voice communication, often by gamers and streamers.

Colt Gray denied making any threats, insisting that would never make such statements, even as a joke. Tips provided included an email address associated with Colt Gray’s Discord account. IP addresses from around the time of the family’s eviction indicated that the account had been accessed from locations in Fort Valley or Statesboro, Georgia, and possibly Buffalo, NY.

The Discord username linked to Colt Gray’s email address was written in Russian, with the name translating to “Lanza,” which allegedly references Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza. Colin Gray informed officials that his son does not know or speak Russian.

Investigators concluded that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the claim that Colin or Colt Gray was responsible for the Discord account.

Similarities to Ethan Crumbley Case

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald spoke to Newsweek on Friday, and while she says it’s “still too early” to compare then-15-year-old Michigan assassin Ethan Crumbley and alleged Georgia shooter Colt Gray, 14 themselves, their cases are “eerily similar.”

McDonald says both Crumbley’s father, James Crumbley, and Colt Gray’s father Colin Gray, bought their sons the guns used in the school shootings as Christmas gifts.

“There are also allegations that there was some concern over his [Colt Gray’s] mental state and him being in crisis, so that is eerily similar,” she said.

In December 2023, Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting deaths of four classmates, wounding six others, as well as a teacher. Psychologist Colin King later testified that Crumbley was experiencing psychosis, a break from reality, at the time of the shooting and determined he had major depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Crumbley’s parents James and Jennifer Crumbley also became the first parents to be convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a US mass school shooting. For that, they were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

While the Crumbley parents’ convictions made history, McDonald says she is uncomfortable taking a “victory lap” for bringing the charges against them.

“I believe it was the right thing to do,” she told Newsweek. “I think it brings some validation to victims that people are being held accountable, but it doesn’t take away their pain, and it certainly didn’t prevent it from happening again, which is hard. It’s very hard, but if nothing else, maybe, hopefully, it will have people asking the right questions, like, ‘where did this person get the gun?'”

Timeline of Mass Shooting

The shooting was first reported at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The sheriff’s office received an alert of reports of an active shooter at 10:20 a.m.

GBI director Chris Hosey said law enforcement was at the scene “within minutes.” Two school resource officers assigned to the high school responded as well.

“Law enforcement had a very, very swift response to this incident,” Hosey said.

Officers located the suspect “immediately,” Hosey said. The suspect then surrendered to law enforcement.

“Law enforcement had a very, very swift response to this incident,” Hosey said.

Smith called the shooting an “evil thing” and said the investigation is “active and ever-developing.”

Colt Gray was interviewed by investigators after being taken into custody, Smith said.

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