The 14-year-old student who opened fire on his classmates in a terrifying mass shooting at Apalachee High School was questioned by the FBI a year before the tragedy, it has emerged.
The federal agency said it interviewed suspected gunman Colt Gray, 14, and his father last year following “several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified time and location.”
Officials confirmed that the individual the FBI interviewed last year was Gray, however the agency said in a statement that he “denied making the online threats” at the time.
This comes after officials identified Gray as the gunman who opened fire at his high school Wednesday morning, killing two students and two teachers and wounding nine others.
At a news conference Wednesday night, officials identified the victims as teachers Christina Emery and Richard Aspinwall, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Kristen Angolo, both 14.
Four people were shot and killed Wednesday morning at Apalachee High School in Georgia, and authorities revealed that the FBI interviewed
Authorities said the shooter, identified as Colt Gray, had been on the FBI’s radar for a year but denied making online threats when questioned.
In its statement about Gray’s interview last year, the FBI said the online threats included “pictures of weapons.”
“Within 24 hours, the FBI determined that the online posting originated in Georgia,” the statement continued, saying the sinister threats were forwarded to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office “for action.”
Under questioning, Gray’s father, who has not been identified, told officers he had hunting weapons at his home but that Gray “did not have unsupervised access to them.”
The agency said that after Gray denied the threats, Jackson County “alerted local schools to continue monitoring” the disturbed teen.
After the tragic shooting, an Apalachee High School junior who was sitting next to Gray revealed the gunman’s chilling behavior moments before he opened fire — and how she and her classmates narrowly escaped death.
Lyela Sayarath said she was sitting next to the 14-year-old gunman in algebra class Wednesday morning and had no indication of the horror that would unfold as she described him as a “quiet” teenager.
“He never spoke, most of the time he didn’t go to school, he just skipped classes,” she told CNN. “Even when he spoke, he would respond with one word.”
Apalachee High School junior Lyela Sayarath said she was sitting next to 14-year-old shooter Colt Gray in algebra class moments before he opened fire.
A large police presence descended on Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday following the tragedy.
Horrifying details have emerged from inside classrooms showing the chilling chaos endured by students when gunshots rang out this morning.
Sayarath said Gray left the classroom at 9:45 a.m., about a half-hour before active shooter alerts sounded, and thought she was skipping class because she didn’t ask her teacher for a bathroom pass.
But while he was away, a loudspeaker announcement told teachers to check their emails, before, Sayarath said, Gray reappeared at his classroom door.
Still unaware of the danger, Sayarath said a student went to open the door for Gray before jumping back upon seeing his gun.
“I guess he saw that we weren’t going to let him in. And I guess the door to the classroom next door was open, so I think he started shooting in the classroom,” he said.
She said he proceeded to fire a series of bullets “one after the other,” adding: “When we heard it, most of the people just dropped to the ground and crawled around in an area piled on top of each other.”
Sayarath said his friend was in the classroom next door and witnessed someone being shot, which left him “shocked.” “He saw that someone had been shot. There was blood on him. He was limping a little bit. He looked horrified,” he added.
