Father Convicted in Georgia School Shooting Part of Growing Trend

A Georgia father was convicted Tuesday for providing his son with the weapon used in a deadly high school shooting. The case represents a growing pattern of prosecutors holding parents criminally responsible when their children commit acts of gun violence.

A Georgia father has become the most recent parent to face criminal conviction after his child was involved in a deadly school shooting, as prosecutors increasingly pursue cases against parents they believe contributed to such tragedies.

Colin Gray was found guilty Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, located northeast of Atlanta. A jury quickly reached their verdict after prosecutors argued Gray provided his son with access to firearms and ammunition while being aware of the teenager’s declining mental health.

The shooting resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers. Gray’s son, Colt Gray, was 14 years old when the incident occurred and has entered not guilty pleas to multiple charges against him.

This conviction continues a trend where legal authorities are expanding accountability beyond the actual shooters when evidence suggests parental negligence played a role in enabling the violence.

Several other recent cases demonstrate this pattern:

In Wisconsin, Jeffrey Rupnow faces charges for intentionally providing a dangerous weapon to a minor resulting in death. His 15-year-old daughter Natalie killed a student and teacher at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison in 2024 before taking her own life. Prosecutors revealed that Rupnow acknowledged his daughter was having difficulty dealing with his divorce and purchased firearms as a way to bond with her.

Defense attorney Lisa Goldman argued at a July 2025 hearing that Rupnow acted responsibly, noting that Natalie had completed gun safety training and that her father stored the weapons in a safe.

The groundbreaking case involved Jennifer and James Crumbley, who became the first American parents to face criminal responsibility for a mass school shooting carried out by their child. Both are currently serving 10-year sentences for involuntary manslaughter.

Their son Ethan Crumbley fatally shot four students and injured others at Oxford High School in Michigan during 2021. School officials had shown the parents their son’s violent artwork just hours before the shooting occurred, but the Crumbleys refused to take him home. Nobody searched his backpack for weapons.

While the Crumbleys were unaware of their son’s specific intentions, they had recently given him a firearm as a present. Prosecutors successfully argued that Ethan’s actions could have been predicted and that his parents failed to take steps to prevent the violence.

In Illinois, Robert Crimo Jr. entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges for supporting his son’s gun permit application in 2019, despite being aware that Robert Crimo III had previously expressed thoughts of suicide.

Three years following that permit approval, Crimo III opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, killing seven people.

“He was criminally reckless the moment he submitted that affidavit,” stated prosecutor Eric Rinehart regarding the father’s actions.

The elder Crimo received a 60-day jail sentence, while his son is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to murder charges in March.

Deja Taylor faced prosecution in both state and federal courts following an incident where her 6-year-old son brought her gun to school and shot a teacher in a classroom full of students in Newport News, Virginia, during 2023.

Taylor received a 21-month federal prison sentence for a drug-related offense connected to illegal gun possession. Additionally, she was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect.

“That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility for himself,” Taylor told “Good Morning America” in 2023.

The wounded teacher, Abigail Zwerner, told a judge she wasn’t certain “whether it would be my final moment on Earth.”