A teenage boy who carried out a mass shooting at his Georgia high school pleaded guilty Friday to all 55 counts against him, including murder and aggravated assault, as survivors and victims’ families spoke out in court.
Colt Gray, 16, agreed to a non-negotiated guilty plea, the judge said, meaning there is no plea deal; the state will present its argument for an appropriate sentence, and the defense will do the same.
The judge said the minimum sentence is life with parole and the maximum is a life sentence without parole.
Colt Gray appears in court, July 24, 2026.
Pool
Gray was 14 years old in September 2024 when he opened fire at Apalachee High School, killing two students and two teachers and injuring several others.
Breanna Schermerhorn, whose son, 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, was killed, said in a victim impact statement Friday, “Mason was so much more than a victim.”
“Mason was kind, compassionate, funny and fiercely protective of others,” she said. “As a child with exceptional needs, he understood what it felt like to struggle and be overlooked by others. Instead of becoming bitter, he became an advocate.”
“He made people that were typically unseen feel seen, accepted and safe,” she said.
“I had no doubt in my mind if Colt had actually attended school as he should have, that Mason would have befriended him,” Breanna Schermerhorn said.
She said Gray “knew that pulling that trigger was wrong, he knew that every choice he made that day would forever alter countless lives.”
Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie all died at the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, Georgia, Sept. 5, 2024.
Barrow County School District
One of Mason Schermerhorn’s sisters, Alanna Schermerhorn Wallace, said through tears that she lost the life she knew and her sense of safety on the day her brother was killed. She said she’s always scanning for exits and monitoring the people around her and is triggered by loud noises and unexpected sounds.
Another sister, Lilianah Ahmed, said through tears, “From a very young age, Mason wanted to be a family man. He wanted to have a wife, kids. He wanted to go to school and pursue a career. … All these different parts of himself he didn’t get to explore because of Colt.”
“My brother died alone and scared. [Gray] was the last person to see Mason alive, and he took him from us,” Ahmed said.
She also called her brother “the success story that Colt could have been.”
The entrance sign of Apalachee High School adorned with flowers from visitors on September 5, 2024 in Winder, Georgia.
Jessica Mcgowan/Getty Images
Shayna Aspinwall, whose husband, Richard Aspinwall, was killed, described him as a beloved dad, teacher and coach.
“Every holiday, birthday, anniversary and ordinary day is a reminder of what has been stolen from us,” she said. “… Now our daughters, who were 5 and 2 at the time, must grow up without their father. They will miss his guidance, his encouragement, his hugs, and all the milestones he should have been here to witness.”
Shayna Aspinwall asked the judge to not sentence Gray to life with the chance for parole, saying the parole hearings would be “continued torture” for her family.
School shooting suspect Colt Gray exits the Barrow County Courthouse, Dec. 9, 2025, in Winder, Ga.
Mike Stewart/AP Photo
Ismael Angulo, whose brother, 14-year-old Christian Angulo, was killed, also asked the judge to sentence Gray to life without the possibility of parole, as he described “every day as a nightmare.”
“The defendant’s family will still get to see their son, talk to him and know he is breathing. My mother, my father don’t get that privilege,” he said. “… There is no fairness in that reality. Christian was a beautiful, innocent soul who was robbed of his dreams.”
Student Taylor Jones, who was shot and wounded, said in court she spent several months in and out of the hospital.
A police line is put up in front of Apalachee High School after a school shooting took place on September 4, 2024 in Winder, Georgia.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
“I was in lots of pain, on many medications, and I was told I might not be able to walk again,” Jones said, noting that she was able to start walking about one year later, but struggles with overwhelming anxiety.
Another wounded student, Nautica Walton, said to Gray in court, “You took away the innocence of so many kids … just because of what you were going through. … What you cannot take away from me is the person I am choosing to become. I’m still here, I am healing and I am finding my strength again.”
Gray was accused of carrying out the shooting with a rifle his father, Colin Gray, gifted him as a Christmas present, officials said. This March, Colin Gray was convicted of charges including second-degree murder and manslaughter, becoming the first parent in the U.S. convicted of murder due to the alleged acts of their child.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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