Colin Gray testifies in trial after his son was accused of Georgia high school shooting

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ATLANTA (AP) — The father of accused school shooter Colt Gray has taken the stand in one of the latest cases in which parents are being put on trial after their children are accused in fatal shootings.

Defense lawyers called Colin Gray to testify shortly after court began early Friday as they begin presenting their case. Prosecutors say he should be held accountable for giving his son the weapon used in the shooting as a Christmas gift despite alleged threats and warning signs that the boy was mentally unstable.

Colt, who was 14 years old at the time of the shooting, faces 55 counts, including murder in the deaths of four people and 25 counts of aggravated assault. He’s accused of carefully planning the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School that left two teachers and two students dead and several others wounded at the school in Winder, northeast of Atlanta.

The father faces 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

The trial of Colin Gray, now ending its second week, has included testimony from the boy's mother, Marcee Gray, who testified that she urged her husband to lock up the guns so that Colt could not access them. The parents were separated for much of the time leading up to the shooting, and Marcee Gray was not charged with any crimes.

This is one of several cases around the nation where prosecutors are trying to hold parents responsible after their children are accused in fatal shootings.