School Shootings and Criminal Liability

The trial of Colin Gray — who has pleaded not guilty to nearly 30 counts including second‑degree murder and involuntary manslaughter — has moved into witness testimony in Winder, Georgia, with a jury drawn from neighboring Hall County after the venue remained in Barrow County; survivors of the Sept. 4, 2024, Apalachee High School shooting have testified about the attack, focusing on the rifle and ammunition prosecutors say Gray provided. Prosecutors say Gray gave his son a semiautomatic rifle as a Christmas gift, bought a higher‑capacity magazine and continued purchasing ammunition despite warnings including an FBI‑tipped probe, online searches, alarming texts and a reported “shrine” to Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, while defense attorneys say the teen hid his plans and that his father cannot be criminally blamed for what was intentionally concealed.