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THE grandfather of alleged school shooter Colt Gray wants the teenager’s father to get the death penalty for his supposed role in the massacre.
Charles Polhamus, Gray’s maternal grandfather, has spoken out about the difficult upbringing the Gray children endured including their father’s alleged “abuse” and their mother’s drug addiction.
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It comes after the 14-year-old was arrested and charged last week with four counts of felony murder after allegedly carrying out Georgia’s deadliest school shooting at Apalachee High School on Wednesday.
Four people were killed in the shooting and nine others were injured.
Fellow students Mason Schermerhorn, 14, and Christian Angulo, 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie were named as the victims of the shooting.
Colin Gray, Colt’s father, was also arrested and charged in connection with the shooting after allegations that he “knowingly allowed” his son to have the gun that was supposedly used at the school.
read more on the shooting
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Authorities have claimed that the rifle used in the shooting was a Christmas gift to Gray from his father.
The 54-year-old faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Now, Gray’s grandfather has accused his former son-in-law of being “evil” claiming that the teenager was “driven by his father to do what he did,” Polhamus told The New York Post.
“Spending 11 years with that son of a b**** screaming and hollering every day – it can affect anybody.”
“He’s evil. They couldn’t, they didn’t survive in it,” he added.
“Prior to going through this, [Colt] was a good kid. I will preach that forever.”
The 81-year-old has called for the death penalty to be handed to Gray’s father for allegedly pushing his son to the point where he carried out the attack.
“Colt has to pay for what he did, but I’m telling you, he was driven, no question in my mind,” Polhamus said.
“He was driven by his father to do what he did. That’s as plain as I can put it, and I know I’m right.
“[Colin Gray] got what he deserved, too. He needs the death penalty.”
Timeline of Apalachee High School shooting
Below is a timeline of the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4:
8:30 am – First period begins at AHS
9:45 am – Suspect Colt Gray leaves algebra class, according to his classmate
10:20 am – Police start to receive calls about an active shooter
10:23 am – Law enforcement officers are dispatched to school and arrive in minutes
10:45 am – AHS sends message to parents saying the school is in a hard lockdown
11:20 am – Students are evacuated to the football field
11:56 am – Barrow County Sheriff’s Office reports a suspect is in custody
2:13 pm – Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirms four people were killed and nine were hospitalized with injuries
“Colin Gray did this to his family and he will rot in hell for it. That’s a fact,” he added.
If convicted of the charges against him, Colin could get 180 years behind bars, though an expert who spoke with The U.S. Sun believes he may be able to ‘dodge a life sentence’.
Meanwhile, at a hearing on Friday morning, Gray was informed that he would be tried as an adult but that he would not get the death penalty because he is under the age of 18.
However, if convicted, he faces life in prison.
‘EXTREME EMERGENCY’
Text messages from Gray’s aunt Annie Brown showed that concerns about his mental state had been raised between the family and the school in the week leading up to the shooting.
Brown reportedly claimed in one message seen by The Washington Post that her nephew was having “homicidal and suicidal thoughts”
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“He shouldn’t have a gun, and he should’ve been in THERAPY months ago,” she added.
Gray’s mother Marcee had also allegedly contacted the school to warn about her son just moments before the shooting began.
Polhamus revealed that the morning of the shooting, the teenager texted his mom saying, “I’m sorry, mother.”
Gray reportedly called the school to warn them of an “extreme emergency” before shots rang out in the classroom.
“I told them it was an extreme emergency and for them to go immediately and find [my son] to check on him,” Marcee told her sister in text messages seen by The Post.
A call log from the family phone revealed that someone had called the school for 10 minutes at around 9:50 am, less than half an hour before the shooting started.
In a desperate attempt to get to the school, Gray’s mother allegedly started the three-hour drive to Winder and was halfway there when she heard of the shooting on the news.
Colin Gray did this to his family and he will rot in hell for it. That’s a fact.
Charles Polhamus
Gray’s mother called the shooting “absolutely horrific” and said, “I am so, so sorry and can not fathom the pain and suffering they are going through right now.”
An investigation in the Grays after the shooting revealed that the FBI had interviewed the teenager and his father just months before the school shooting over disturbing posts made online.
The then-13-year-old denied threatening to shoot up a school on a Discord account, claiming that his account had been hacked.
The investigation was closed when cops failed to find enough evidence to link Gray or his father to the online account.
Gray and his father will both be kept in custody and are next set to appear in court on December 4.
No pleas were entered at either hearing on Friday morning.
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