The father of the suspected shooter at a Georgia high school, 14-year-old Colt Gray, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. The charges stem from allowing his son to possess a weapon used in the deadly shooting that killed two teachers and two students.
Colin Gray’s charges come after previous cases of parents being held accountable for their children’s violent actions, such as the Crumbleys who received prison time for their son’s school shooting in Michigan. The FBI had received tips about online threats involving Colt Gray but did not take further action.
Legal experts believe that successful prosecutions of parents in cases of gun violence by minors could set a precedent for similar cases in the future. Parents and guardians are being held responsible for the actions of children in their care in cases like the shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Illinois and a child shooting a teacher in Virginia.
Experts suggest that there were warning signs in the case of Colt Gray, as law enforcement had visited the family the previous year and warned Colin Gray to keep his firearms locked away. This shows negligence on the part of the parent, according to law professor Adam Winkler.
Overall, the actions of Colin Gray and his son have caused devastation in the Apalachee High School community, and experts believe that parents should be held responsible for ignoring warning signs of potential violence from their children.
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