Colin Gray, who was not present in court, had his legal representatives inform the judge of his plea during a brief hearing. It is typical for defendants in Georgia to enter pleas and waive formal arraignments, as Gray did.

Colin Gray and his son, Colt Gray, were both indicted following the September 4 incident, which claimed the lives of two students and two teachers while wounding several others. Colt, facing trial as an adult, has been charged with 55 counts, including murder and 25 counts of aggravated assault. His father, Colin, faces 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Both father and son have also been charged with multiple counts of cruelty to children.

The younger Gray had also entered a not guilty plea and waived arraignment last month. Currently, Colt Gray is being detained at a juvenile detention center in Gainesville, whereas Colin Gray, aged 54, is being held at the Barrow County jail. Neither has sought bail.

The victims of this shocking tragedy include teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Additionally, another teacher and eight students were injured, with seven being wounded by gunfire.

Colin Gray's indictment marks the first time an adult has been charged in a school shooting in Georgia. This case follows a trend where prosecutors are increasingly holding parents accountable for their children's actions in such incidents. A notable precedent was set in Michigan, where Jennifer and James Crumbley were sentenced to at least ten years in prison for failing to secure a firearm and ignoring signs of their son's declining mental health before he carried out a school shooting in 2021.

Investigations revealed that Colt Gray concealed a semiautomatic assault-style rifle in his book bag under a poster board, sneaking it onto a school bus. He meticulously planned the attack on the 1,900-student school near Atlanta, even detailing potential casualties in a notebook. He left his class during the second period, emerged from a bathroom armed with the rifle, and began shooting in a classroom and hallways.