The mother of Colt Gray, accused of shooting at Apalachee High School, has written a obsequious letter apologizing to the victims’ families and saying her son is “not a monster.”
Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student at the school, has been charged as an adult with murdering two students and two teachers following the horrific shooting that also left nine people injured on Sept. 4.
In the letter, the teen’s mother, Marcee Gray, 43, who said she warned the school of an “extreme emergency” before her son opened fire, told families that “love is the only thing that will get us through this tragedy” and asked them to “pray” for Colt and his family.
“To the parents and families of those affected by the tragic events at Apalachee High School, I want to say that I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart,” Gray wrote.
Marcee Gray, 43, mother of suspected Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, 14, wrote a letter to the parents and family members of the victims her son killed on Sept. 4.
Colt Gray (right) faces four counts of murder, while his father, Colin Gray, 54, (left) was arrested and faces four counts of manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder amid claims he gave his son the AR-15-style rifle used in the massacre.
“If I could take Mason and Christian’s place, I would do it in a heartbeat. As a father, I have always said that the loss of one of my children would be the one thing I could never recover from. I feel all of your pain and devastation.
“I grieve and cry with you. My heart is broken for the two teachers who gave their lives in the service of teaching and protecting our children.”
Mason Schermerhorn, a 14-year-old autistic student, was the first victim to be identified. Student Christian Angulo, 14, also lost his life.
Teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie also died in the tragedy.
Students Mason Schermerhorn, 14 (top left), Christian Angulo, 14 (top right), and teachers Richard Aspinwall (bottom right) and Christina Irimie (bottom left) were killed in the shooting.
Colt faces four counts of murder, while his father, Colin Gray, 54, was arrested and faces four counts of manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder amid claims he gave his son the AR-15-style rifle used in the massacre.
Colin, who was branded “evil” by his former father-in-law, also faces eight counts of cruelty to children.
Both father and son face life in prison.
Colin’s former father-in-law Charles Polhamus recently told DailyMail.com that Colin is the reason his grandson was driven to commit the horrific act.
She confirmed that Colin and her daughter, Marcee, had a tumultuous relationship, calling her ex-husband a “narcissist” and “evil.”
Colt’s grandfather said the alleged shooter’s father “ruined” the teen, who needed “a more supportive environment.”
“He’s a full-fledged narcissist and he’s finally getting what he deserves,” Polhamus told DailyMail.com.
Polhamus blamed Colt’s father for his actions, but said his grandson should be punished for the shooting.
He also believes his troubled ex-son-in-law deserves the death penalty for his involvement.
Speaking to DailyMail.com from his home in Fitzgerald, Georgia, Charlie Polhumus, 81, Colt Gray’s maternal grandfather, said the teenager’s father was to blame for his actions.
“Spending 11 years with that son of a bitch screaming and yelling every day can take a toll on anyone,” Polhamus said of Colt, according to the The New York Post.
“He needs the death penalty.”
Polhamus previously told the Post that Colt had sent an apology to his mother via text message before the shooting, prompting her to call the school.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” the text read.
Marcee got in her car and began driving to school, more than three hours away. But halfway there, she learned that the tragedy she was trying to prevent had already happened.
A school counselor told Marcee that her son had been talking about the school shootings that morning, according to Gray’s sister, Annie Brown, who spoke to the Post.
Mourners are seen gathered at a vigil on the night of the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Poster images of the victims are displayed at a memorial outside the high school on Tuesday.
Shortly after the shooting began, reports emerged that the high school received a warning that tragedy could occur.
In texts allegedly sent by Marcee, she told her family: “I was the one who notified the high school guidance counselor.”
The texts offer a clearer picture of how Colt’s family understood his mental crisis and how close school officials came to finding him before he allegedly opened fire.
In an exchange after the shooting, Marcee texted her sister, Annie Brown, telling her she was wondering why officials hadn’t found her son in time, as she felt it had been “a long time for them to intervene so I was curious to know what happened in that time.”
Other text exchanges reported by Marcee’s sister showed that Colt’s school and family were also in contact regarding his deteriorating mental health at least a week before the shooting.
In one text, Brown allegedly told a family member that Colt was having “homicidal and suicidal thoughts.”
Colt’s grandfather said the alleged shooter’s father “ruined” the teenager who needed “a more supportive environment.” (Pictured: Colin enters Barrow County Courthouse on Friday for his first appearance)
“He shouldn’t have a gun and he should have been in THERAPY months ago,” he added in the text.
Brown said her nephew had spent months “begging” for mental health help, but “the adults around him had failed him.”
A court had previously ordered Marcee to have only limited contact with Colt’s father after she pleaded guilty in December to a family violence charge.
The alleged gunman’s parents separated in 2022 after being evicted, and the family had been involved with Georgia’s child welfare agency during their crisis.
Months later, in May 2023, the family received a visit from local police after receiving a tip from the FBI about threats to carry out a school shooting.
Colt denied making the threats and Colin told police he had hunting rifles in the house but his son was not allowed to use them without supervision.
