WINDER, Ga. — Colt Gray, the baby-faced Georgia school massacre suspect accused of killing two classmates and two teachers, grew up in a broken and neglectful home that was regularly visited by police and child welfare workers, a former neighbor and landlord told The Post.
His mother, Marcee, 43, has a long criminal record with arrests for drug offenses and domestic violence. And his father, Colin, 54, is said to have bought his son an AR-15 rifle for Christmas – and is now accused of supplying the weapon used in the shooting.
Lauren Vickers, who lived next door to the Grays in Jefferson, Georgia, said there were “immediate problems” when the Grays and their three children moved to the well-kept neighborhood 60 miles east of Atlanta in 2022.
“There were nights when the mother would lock him and his sister out of the house. And they would bang on the back door and scream, 'Mama! Mama! Mama!' and cry. It was absolutely devastating,” she said.
Fourteen-year-old Colt Gray is believed to have killed four people in a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024. Barrow County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS
Vickers said the youngest child sometimes came into her backyard and asked for food.
“No clean clothes, I'm not exaggerating.”
“It was constant abuse,” she said. “It's very, very sad.”
Gray's maternal grandfather told CNN Thursday night that he was “just a good boy” who “lived in a hostile environment.”
“His father beat him, and I don't mean physically, but with screaming and yelling. And he did the same with my daughter,” said Charles Polhamus, adding that the boy did not show any outward aggression problems, but was influenced by his upbringing.
To understand the suspect's motive, investigators are now examining his family's previous contacts with the state's child protective services agency, the GBI director said Wednesday.
Colt, 14, was charged as an adult Thursday with four counts of murder following a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder on Wednesday.
He is expected to appear in court on Friday.
Lauren Vickers and her daughter Berlin were neighbors of the Grays in Jefferson, Georgia. Vickers claims Colt grew up in a broken and neglectful home. Robin Rayne for the NY Post
Police are investigating the Grays' home in Winder. 11Alive
Police officers and first responders outside Apalachee High School after the shooting. AFP via Getty Images
An injured person is taken out of Apalachee High School. Fox 5 Atlanta
Colt's aunt, Annie Brown, told the Washington Post that her nephew had been suffering from mental health problems and had been “begging everyone around him for help” months before the massacre.
“The adults around him let him down,” she said.
His mother, Marcee, who attended Georgia Southern University and listed her occupation on LinkedIn as a “quality engineer” at a local manufacturer, also has a long criminal history spanning 17 years and four counties in the state of Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Colt Gray's mother, Marcee Gray, has a long criminal record. Facebook/Marcee Gray
Her criminal record includes domestic violence, drug possession, criminal damage and various traffic violations, including drunk driving. She was also charged with fraud in the purchase of a used car and was incarcerated in Ben Hill County as recently as April.
According to her social media accounts and neighbors, she later left the family home.
According to Vickers, Colt's father Colin works in the construction industry.
Neither parent responded to The Post's request for comment.
Marcee Gray was arrested for domestic violence, drug possession, criminal damage and driving under the influence. Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office
A mug shot of Colin Gray, the father of suspected Apalachee school shooter Colt Gray. Barrow County Sheriff's Office
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office visited the Grays' Jefferson home in May 2023 after the FBI released a report that Colt had threatened to shoot at his middle school on Discord, a messaging app popular with gamers.
However, the case was put on hold after a few days because the police could not confirm key details of the FBI investigation.
Colin told police officers they had several hunting rifles in the house, and he admitted that Colt occasionally had access to them under supervision. Police officers urged him to keep the weapons under lock and key and advised them to keep Colt away from school “until this matter is resolved,” but school was already closed for the year.
Colin Gray told police that his 14-year-old son Colt had access to his guns. Facebook/Marcee Gray
Law enforcement sources told The Post that despite the police visit, Colin purchased a Colt AR-style assault rifle for Christmas in December 2023.
This weapon was used in the shooting on Wednesday.
Neighbor Vickers said that although the family lived next door, it was the mother who attracted the most attention.
Colin Gray bought Colt the rifle he used in the shootout for Christmas. Facebook/Marcee Gray
The weapon used in the school shooting lies on the floor. Rich in stories
“I found her unconscious in the driveway early in the morning with the engine running and loud music,” Vickers said of Marcee, who she said regularly abused drugs and alcohol.
“She would have taken the little one to daycare or kindergarten. That's how she drove him,” she said of Gray's younger brother.
She said Colt didn't talk much, but she often saw him skipping school and wandering around the woods or vacant houses in the surrounding communities.
When asked how to characterize Colt, Vickers said, “He wasn't a bully or a mean boy. He didn't say much. He was so quiet,” she said, pointing out that he was a classmate of her daughter, Berlin.
Colt's former neighbor described him as a quiet child.
Although she called Child Protective Services several times, Vickers said, “they came, talked to me and did nothing.”
At the same time, Gray's mother and maternal grandfather accused Gray's father of verbally abusing his family for years.
“He was just a good kid, but he lived in a hostile environment,” Charles Polhamus said in an interview with CNN about his grandson Colt Gray. “His father beat him, I don't mean physically, but with screaming and yelling, and he did the same thing to my daughter.”
The grandfather said he never saw any aggression problems in Colt Gray, but the turbulent family life affected the teenager.
To understand the suspect's motive, investigators are now examining his family's previous contacts with the state's child protective services agency, the GBI director said Wednesday.
A former landlord of the Grays, who asked not to be named, described Marcee as “completely crazy,” while crediting her father with “trying his best to be a decent guy.”
“She locked them out in bad weather. In freezing weather,” he said, confirming Vickers' report.
He said he stopped by the house to talk to Colin when neighbors started complaining.
A former landlord described Marcee Gray as an abusive mother who battled drug and alcohol addiction. Facebook/Marcee Gray
“The neighbors reported [Marcee] was driving her car drunk down the street, fell out of the car, with the door open and the engine running. As a landlord, I cannot tolerate this kind of behavior in a neighborhood where a tenant could endanger other children,” he said.
“I spoke to the husband and asked him, 'Do you know that your children are being locked out of the house?'”
The landlord said Colin told him Marcee had been battling drug and alcohol addiction and the couple was facing divorce.
Apalachee High School students hold hands during a vigil for the victims of the September 4, 2024 shooting. Joshua L. Jones/USA TODAY NETWORK
He then reported her to the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services and released her from the lease, leaving Colin to fend for himself until he finally moved out on his own.
“I think the man has really been through a lot. I can't imagine that he didn't get help to these children because they were pretty traumatized,” said the landlord.
He said that although he never spoke to Colt, he had the impression that he “really wanted to be with his father.”
When asked about the shooting at Apalachee High School, the landlord said, “I never thought for a minute that something like this would happen. You just can't predict something like this,” he said.
“All I can say is that this child has failed the social network that we should be setting up to help these children,” he said.