The FBI’s Atlanta office has disclosed that they had previously looked into the suspect involved in a school shooting that occurred earlier today.
On the morning of September 4, a 14-year-old named Colt Gray opened fire at Apalachee High School, situated about an hour from Atlanta, Georgia.
Gray, who was a student at the school, has been taken into custody. Authorities revealed in a news conference that he will face murder charges and will be tried as an adult.
According to Chris Hosey, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, four individuals were killed, including two teachers and two students. Additionally, at least nine others were injured.
The FBI’s Atlanta division issued a statement clarifying that they had previously investigated Gray for a potential planned shooting last year.
In a Twitter statement, the FBI said: “FBI Atlanta responded earlier today to Apalachee High School following reports of an active shooter. Throughout the day FBI personnel have been coordinating with and supporting local and state law enforcement.
“The FBI will dedicate all available resources, as requested, to seek justice and bring closure for the victims and their families.”
“In May 2023, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center received several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time.
“The online threats contained photographs of guns. Within 24 hours, the FBI determined the online post originated in Georgia and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office referred the information to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for action.
“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office located a possible subject, a 13-year-old male, and interviewed him and his father. The father stated he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them.
“The subject denied making the threats online. Jackson County alerted local schools for continued monitoring of the subject.”
“At that time, there was no probable cause for arrest or to take any additional law enforcement action on the local, state, or federal levels.”
In a follow-up post, the FBI’s Atlanta unit added: “To confirm, the subject referred to as the 13-year-old is the same subject in custody related to today’s shootings at Apalachee High School.”
Hosey mentioned in a news conference that Gray “immediately surrendered” to officers and was “taken into custody.”
Investigations into the shooting are still ongoing.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends at (877) 969-0010.