Investigators are working to determine the motive behind Wednesday’s fatal school shooting in Georgia, while also looking for answers about the weapon allegedly used by the shooter.
Law enforcement officials found that the accused 14-year-old shooter, identified as Colton Gray, had a fascination with mass shootings. The New York Times reports that he particularly had an interest in the 2018 Parkland High School attack in Florida, according to sources involved in the investigation.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the shooting, which occurred early Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder, left two students and two teachers dead, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Officials reported that teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, along with students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, died in the incident.
Nine others, including eight students and one teacher, sustained injuries, but all are expected to survive, according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.
Gray, a student at the school, surrendered to school resource officers at the scene and was taken into custody, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He faces murder charges and will be prosecuted as an adult.
GBI Director Chris Hosey confirmed that the shooter used an AR-style rifle. Officials are still investigating how Gray obtained the weapon.
Investigators are also reviewing whether opportunities to stop the attack were missed.
Sheriff’s deputies questioned the teen over a year ago about online threats related to a school shooting, but couldn’t find enough evidence to link him, according to an investigative report obtained by The New York Times.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: A person kneels in front of flowers that are placed outside the entrance to Apalachee High School on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024 in Winder, Ga., a day after deadly shootings at the school. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)]
