FBI says Georgia shooter previously questioned over online school shooting threats
The alleged shooter who killed four people in and Georgia A high school student and nine others were wounded Wednesday after threats to shoot up the school were made online, the FBI said.
A joint statement from the FBI Atlanta Field Office and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said the National Threat Management Center received an anonymous tip in May 2023 about threats posted online regarding a possible school shooting.
According to the FBI, the threats included images of weapons.
Within 24 hours, investigators determined that the threats originated in Georgia and the case was turned over to the sheriff's office.
“The Jackson County Sheriff's Office located a possible suspect, a 13-year-old male, and interviewed him and his father,” the FBI said. “The father stated he had hunting rifles in the home, but the suspect did not have unsupervised access to them.”
The boy denied making the threat, and authorities alerted local schools to keep an eye on the child.
There was no reason for this at the time. arrestthe authorities said.
Authorities on Wednesday identified 14-year-old Colt Gray as the shooter who killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School. Gray surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody. He is expected to be charged with murder as an adult.
“In addition to the joint statement just released, the subject referred to as the 13-year-old is the same person in custody linked to today's shootings at Apalachee High School,” the FBI said.
According to an FBI source, the family lived in Jackson County at the time but have since moved to Barrow County, Georgia.