The recent school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia has revealed multiple missed warnings leading up to the tragedy, raising serious questions about school safety protocols.
Marcee Gray, mother of 14-year-old Colt Gray, made an urgent call to the school around 9:50 am on the morning of the shooting, after receiving a distressing text from her son that read, “I’m sorry.”
She called the school and asked administrators to check on him.
She recounted her conversation with a school counselor in an interview with ABC News. Gray was informed that a teacher had already raised concerns about Colt making references to school shootings. Despite this, the response to her warning was tragically inadequate.
“The counselor said, ‘Well, I wanted to let you know that earlier this morning one of Colt’s teachers had sent me an email that said Colt had been making references to school shootings,’” Marcee Gray said.
“I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find Colt to check on him,” Marcee Gray later said in a text message to her sister. “I don’t understand what took them so long.”
In addition to Gray’s alarming call, there were other warning signs earlier that day. Authorities revealed that an anonymous caller had warned of planned attacks on multiple schools, including Apalachee High, further escalating the day’s tension. However, this warning did not prompt the level of immediate action necessary to prevent the catastrophe.
The shooting began roughly 30 minutes after Gray’s call, with school resource officers mistakenly detaining a student with a similar name instead of Colt. This error allowed Colt to carry out the attack, resulting in the deaths of two teachers and two students, and injuring nine others.
Marcee Gray told ABC News she hadn’t spoken to her son since the shooting.
“I would tell him that I love him – that me and Jesus will love him forever and ever,” she said. “And I would tell him that ‘it’s not your fault.’ It’s not his fault.”
Colt Gray was arrested after surrendering to a school security officer and now faces multiple charges, including four counts of felony murder. His father, Colin Gray, is also charged with serious offenses including involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. Both are being held without bail and are scheduled to appear in court on December 4.
The day’s series of missed warnings and the delayed response underscore a critical need for improved communication and safety measures in schools to prevent such tragedies.
Marcee Gray, mother of 14-year-old Colt Gray, made an urgent call to the school around 9:50 am on the morning of the shooting, after receiving a distressing text from her son that read, “I’m sorry.”
She called the school and asked administrators to check on him.
She recounted her conversation with a school counselor in an interview with ABC News. Gray was informed that a teacher had already raised concerns about Colt making references to school shootings. Despite this, the response to her warning was tragically inadequate.
“The counselor said, ‘Well, I wanted to let you know that earlier this morning one of Colt’s teachers had sent me an email that said Colt had been making references to school shootings,’” Marcee Gray said.
“I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find Colt to check on him,” Marcee Gray later said in a text message to her sister. “I don’t understand what took them so long.”
In addition to Gray’s alarming call, there were other warning signs earlier that day. Authorities revealed that an anonymous caller had warned of planned attacks on multiple schools, including Apalachee High, further escalating the day’s tension. However, this warning did not prompt the level of immediate action necessary to prevent the catastrophe.
The shooting began roughly 30 minutes after Gray’s call, with school resource officers mistakenly detaining a student with a similar name instead of Colt. This error allowed Colt to carry out the attack, resulting in the deaths of two teachers and two students, and injuring nine others.
Marcee Gray told ABC News she hadn’t spoken to her son since the shooting.
“I would tell him that I love him – that me and Jesus will love him forever and ever,” she said. “And I would tell him that ‘it’s not your fault.’ It’s not his fault.”
Colt Gray was arrested after surrendering to a school security officer and now faces multiple charges, including four counts of felony murder. His father, Colin Gray, is also charged with serious offenses including involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. Both are being held without bail and are scheduled to appear in court on December 4.
The day’s series of missed warnings and the delayed response underscore a critical need for improved communication and safety measures in schools to prevent such tragedies.