ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
The 14-year-old accused of killing two teachers and two students at a high school in Winder, Ga., made his first court appearance today. And so did his father, who was arrested and charged because officials say he knowingly allowed his son to possess a weapon. Chase McGee of Georgia Public Broadcasting was in the courtroom today, and he's with us now. Hi, Chase.
CHASE MCGEE, BYLINE: Hi. How you doing?
SHAPIRO: Good. Tell us about what you saw in court.
MCGEE: Yeah. It was a smaller courtroom in Barrow County Superior Court. There was maybe a hundred people squeezed into these long benches. And I recognized a couple family members. But a lot of community members were packed in together, holding hands, dabbing tears from behind sunglasses.
At first, we saw the suspected shooter, Colt Gray. He never did turn to face the crowd, so we only saw him from behind. He had long, shoulder-length, bleach blond hair and this green T-shirt. He sat quietly and only responded to acknowledge comments from the judge. He was actually at a nearby youth detention center, and we weren't expecting to see him in court today. Also unexpected, his father Colin Gray made an appearance in a gray and white jumpsuit. He was arrested last night. And what I noticed sitting there watching him, he seemed to sit and shake at times.
SHAPIRO: Tell us about the charges that the father and son face.
MCGEE: Yeah. So son Colton Gray, he was charged with four counts of felony murder. He is 14, being tried as an adult in Georgia. Georgia law says a child over the age of 13 can be tried for certain offenses, including felony murder. And those charges can carry a possible sentence for life with or without parole.
His father, Colin Gray, faces two counts of felony murder in the second degree, four counts of felony manslaughter and eight counts of felony cruelty to children. According to the GBI - that's the Georgia Bureau of Investigation - he's being charged because he allowed his son to possess that gun. And the state's argument was that it was criminal negligence that resulted in deaths. Those charges carry a maximum of 180 years of imprisonment.
SHAPIRO: There was some confusion about whether the death penalty could be used in this case. Will you tell us about that?
MCGEE: Yeah. So during the initial reading when the judge was going through the charges for Colt, he seemed to misspeak and say that that punishment could include the death penalty. After about 20 minutes, he had to recall Gray back into the courtroom after dismissing him to clarify for the record that he would not face the death penalty since he's under 18 years old. Here's what the judge told him.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CURRIE MINGLEDORFF: I wanted to inform you, make it clear to you, that the penalty for the crimes for which you are charged does not include death.
MCGEE: Now, Colt didn't really react to that, but there was kind of a public reaction in the courtroom after he left. I would call it shock, maybe dismay. And he and his father will both be back in court for a preliminary hearing on December 4, although that date could change in the future.
SHAPIRO: Well, beyond the court, how has the community of Winder been responding these last couple days?
MCGEE: Yeah. There've been several prayer vigils in the town attended by a lot of the community. I've been able to attend. And tonight, instead of the football game, they're having a vigil at the opposing team's high school in Monroe, Ga., about 30 minutes away, of course, remembering the football coach who passed in the shooting and just coming together as a community.
SHAPIRO: That's Chase McGee of Georgia Public Broadcasting. Thank you for your reporting.
MCGEE: Thanks so much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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