A judge in Barrow County, Georgia, made a decision on Thursday to move the trial of Colin Gray, who is facing 29 charges in connection to his son Colt’s purported mass shooting at Apalachee High School the previous year, to a jury in a different county.
Both the state’s attorneys and Gray’s legal team agreed during the afternoon hearing that the trial should be relocated, although they had differing motivations behind this choice, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
The defense said the trial needed to be moved to protect the integrity of the trial.
The Barrow County Courthouse Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (Ben Hendren for Fox News Digital)
“I’ll have to figure out if we’re going to export the trial or import jurors,” he said.
Gray’s charges include second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
Colt Gray, who was 14 years old at the time, allegedly initiated a shooting incident at Apalachee High School on September 4, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to nine others. Among the deceased were two students and two teachers.
Gray is accused of using a semi-automatic rifle given to him by his father.
Colt Gray was arrested on four counts of alleged malice murder, four counts of felony murder, plus aggravated assault and cruelty to children in Barrow County, Ga., Sept. 5, 2024. (Barrow County Sheriff’s Office)
The younger Gray was charged with 55 criminal offenses, including four counts of felony murder in the shooting.
The accused killer was on law enforcement’s radar as early as 2023.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office had visited the Gray household multiple times and had flagged Gray as a person of interest leading up to the shooting after a May 2023 report of an online threat to shoot up a middle school that he attended.
Police investigated that threat and spoke with both Colin and Colt at their home May 21, 2023.
Colin Gray told authorities weapons were accessible in his home but were not loaded. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office)
He was also on the FBI’s radar in 2023 when the bureau received anonymous tips regarding the online threat.
The father and son were indicted Oct. 17. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Fox News Digital reached out to Berry and Smith.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
