Apalachee High School shooting: Timeline of Sept. 4, 2024, and following days

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. – A 14-year-old teenager, Colt Gray, has been charged with 4 felony murders after he allegedly took an AR-style weapon to Apalachee High School on Sept. 4 and shot 13 people, killing 4. His father, Colin Gray, was later arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter because he allegedly purchased the gun that was used during the shooting for his son. 

COMPLETE COVERAGE

The following is a timeline of what happened at Apalachee High School in Barrow County on Sept. 4. The times may not be exact and may be estimates. 

Sept. 4

8:15 a.m. The bell rings for the school day to begin. 

9:45 a.m. The accused shooter, Colt Gray, leaves his Algebra 1 class at the beginning of class. He supposedly returned to the classroom, but was unable to get back in because the door was locked. He then went to the classroom next door and opened fire.

10:22 a.m. Emergency officials receive an alert through the Centegix system, a new security system implemented in all Barrow County schools in 2024. Multiple 911 calls also began to pour into the Barrow County E911 center reporting an “active shooter” situation. 

10:26 a.m. Two sheriff’s deputies and two school resource officers enter the school. A resource officer encounters the suspect, who is armed. The suspect puts down his gun and immediately surrenders. 

10:30 a.m. Barrow County Fire Department Battalion 1 was the first fire crew to arrive at the scene. 

10:34 a.m. BCFD Truck 7 and the Rescue Task Force (RTF) arrive and enter the school.  

10:35 a.m. Deputy Fire Chief Brett Skinner assumes fire and rescue command at the scene.  

10:42 a.m. Two more RTF teams entered the school 

10:45 a.m. A message is sent to the parents and guardians of student at Apalachee High School saying that the school is on hard lockdown after reports of gunfire. They also tell the parents not to come to the school at that time. 

10:50 a.m. SkyFOX5 observes students and staff on football field. They also see at least one person being loaded into a medical helicopter and one person being loaded into an ambulance. 

10:52 a.m. All critically injured patients are evacuated from the scene. 

11:46 a.m. The Barrow School District announces that the school is clear and parents are told they can begin picking up their children. 

11:56 a.m. Barrow County Sheriff’s Office confirms there was a shooting at Apalachee High School and says a suspect is in custody.

11:58 a.m. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he has directed all available state resources to respond to the incident. 

12:07 p.m. Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) confirms it responded to the shooting.

12:35 p.m. President Joe Biden was briefed about the shooting by Homeland Security. 

1 p.m. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says additional security has been deployed to Atlanta Public Schools as a precautionary measure. 

1:15 p.m. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said during a press conference that it will take many days to get answers about why the shooter opened fire. 

2:13 p.m. During an update, the GBI said 4 people were killed and 9 were hospitalized with injuries. 

2:38 p.m. GBI says reports of additional shootings at nearby schools are false. 

4:02 p.m. VP Kamala Harris calls the school shooting a “senseless tragedy.”

4:31 p.m. Another press conference was held by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office and GBI. The name of the suspected shooter is released. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is at the press conference. 

7 p.m. Multiple law enforcement officers are searching the home of Colt Gray. 

7:49 p.m. FBI Atlanta posts a release on social media about online threats received in May 2023 that were traced back to the shooting suspect, who was 13 years old at the time. The FBI interviewed Colin Gray and his father. Colt Gray denied making the threats. Colin Gray told the FBI he had guns in the home, but his son did not have unsupervised access to them. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office reportedly alerted local schools and told them to monitor Colt Gray. 

9:01 p.m. Law enforcement provides another update on the shooting and status of the investigation. It is revealed that the accused shooter used an AR-style weapon. They also identified the 2 teachers and 2 students who were killed. Additionally, they say there is no evidence that there was a list of schools that were being targeted by multiple individuals. 

Sept. 5

6 a.m. Media learns that the suspect, Colt Gray, was moved overnight to the Gainesville Youth Regional Detention Center.

1:45 p.m. GBI posts on social media that autopsies on the 4 victims will be performed that day at the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office. They ask for the public’s patience as they investigate the shooting. 

2:23 p.m. GBI announced there will not be any more press conferences on Thursday. However, that later changes. 

7:30 p.m. It was announced that Colt’s father, Colin Gray, has been placed under arrest and will be charged with 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and 8 counts of cruelty to children. 

8 p.m. A press conference is held to discuss the arrest of Colt Gray’s father, Colin Gray. He is being held at Barrow County Jail. 

Sept. 6

8:30 a.m. Colt Gray makes his first appearance in a Barrow County courtroom. The charges are read to him along with possible sentences and he is informed that his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4.

9:30 a.m. Colin Gray makes his first appearance in court and the charges and possible sentences are also read to him. He is given the same preliminary date as his son. 

10 a.m. Multiple threats in multiple school districts in the metro Atlanta area are being investigated. No schools have been in real danger, but there have been arrests made of people who reportedly made threatening statements or social media posts. 

10:55 a.m. Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith announced a grand jury will meet on Oct. 17 and more charges are expected for Colt County.