By Steve Neavling
The 14-year-old boy suspected of opening fire at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday morning, killing four people, was previously interviewed by law enforcement after the FBI received anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting, according to the bureau’s Atlanta Field Office.
Last year, the FBI was alerted to a series of online threats, which included photos of guns, though they lacked specific details such as location or time.
“Within 24 hours, the FBI determined the online post originated in Georgia and referred the information to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for further action,” the Atlanta Field Office said in a release.
The sheriff’s office identified the then-13-year-old suspect, now identified as Colt Gray, and conducted interviews with both him and his father. The father informed investigators that he kept hunting guns in the house but assured them that his son did not have unsupervised access to the firearms.
The teenager denied making the threats, and while local school administrators were alerted for continued monitoring, no further action was taken at the time, according to the FBI.
On Wednesday, Gray allegedly carried out the attack at Apalachee High School using what is believed to be an AR platform-style weapon, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Investigators are still working to determine how he brought the firearm onto school grounds.
According to Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey, Gray “immediately surrendered” to two school resource officers who confronted him at the scene and was taken into custody.
The victims were identified as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. In addition to the four fatalities, nine others—eight teachers and one student—were hospitalized with various injuries. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith stated that no further fatalities are expected.
“All of our victims that are at the hospital are going to make it and are going to recover well, as we’ve been told,” Smith said during a news conference.
