It’s been a week since the horrific shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that left four people dead. Marcee Gray, the mother of Colt Gray, the 14-year-old accused of the crime, has published an open letter expressing her deep regret and compassion for the victims’ families. In her letter, first shared with CNN, she expresses her grief while trying to defend her son.
“Love is the only thing that will get us through this tragedy.”
“I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart,” she wrote, reflecting on the lives shattered that day. “If I could take Mason and Christian’s place, I would in a heartbeat,” she wrote of the two 14-year-olds killed, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Gray also spoke of the deaths of the two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie, and commended their courage: “My heart breaks for these two teachers who lost their lives protecting our children.”
Shooter ‘not a monster’
In her letter, despite the horror of the events, Marcee Gray attempts to defend her son’s image as “intelligent, caring and funny,” saying he “is not a monster.” Colt Gray, who will be tried as an adult for four counts of murder, remains in the Georgia juvenile justice system, while his father, Colin Gray, faces charges for providing the gun used in the attack.
The shooting, which also left seven people injured, has shaken the community and raised questions about how such a tragedy could have been prevented. About 30 minutes before the tragedy, Marcee Gray had called the school to report an “extreme emergency” after receiving a disturbing message from her son, saying simply, “I’m sorry, Mom.”
Despite the warning, the disaster was not prevented, and some victims’ families, such as Christian Angulo’s, believe that more should have been done: “We believe 100% that this could have been prevented,” his sister, Lisette Angulo, told CNN. “I will never forgive myself for what happened,” wrote Marcee Gray, with a mixture of guilt and despair. Despite her apologies, the question of whether this shooting could have been prevented continues to haunt the community.