Opening statements held in the trial of a Georgia high school shooting suspect's father

A man whose teenage son is accused of killing two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school should be held responsible for providing the weapon despite warnings about alleged threats his son made, a prosecutor said Monday.

The trial of Colin Gray began Monday in one of several cases around the country where prosecutors are trying to hold parents responsible after their children are accused in fatal shootings.

Gray faces 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter and numerous counts of second-degree cruelty to children related to the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder.

“This is not a case about holding parents accountable for what their children do," Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said in his opening statement. “This case is about this defendant and his actions in allowing a child that he has custody over access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that that child was going to harm others.”

Prosecutors argue that amounts to cruelty to children, and second-degree murder is defined in Georgia law as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children.

Investigators have said Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time, carefully planned the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school northeast of Atlanta that is attended by 1,900 students.

But Brian Hobbs, an attorney for Colin Gray, said the shooting's planning and timing "were hidden by Colt Gray from his father. That’s the difference between tragedy and criminal liability. You cannot hold someone criminally responsible for failing to predict what was intentionally hidden from them.”

With a semiautomatic rifle in his book bag, the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board, Colt Gray boarded the school bus, investigators said. He left his second-period class and emerged from a bathroom with the gun and then shot people in a classroom and hallways, they said.

Smith told the jury that Colin Gray’s daughter was in lockdown at her middle school and texted her father that there had been a shooting at the high school. When law enforcement arrived at Gray’s home, he met them in the garage and “without any prompting, he blurts out, ‘I knew it,’” Smith said.

Smith said that in September 2021, Colt Gray used a school computer to search the phrase, “how to kill your dad.” School resource officers were then sent to the home, but it was determined to be a “misunderstanding,” Smith said.

Sixteen months before the shooting, in May 2023, law enforcement acted on a tip from the FBI after a shooting threat was made online concerning an elementary school. The threat was traced to a computer at Gray’s home, Smith said.

Colin Gray was told about the threat and was asked whether his son had access to guns. Gray replied that he and his son “take this school shooting stuff very seriously,” according to Smith. Colt Gray denied that he made the threat and said that his online account had been hacked, Smith said.

That Christmas, Colin Gray gave his son the gun as a gift and continued to buy accessories after that, including “a lot of ammunition,” Smith said.

Colin Gray knew his son was obsessed with school shooters, even having a shrine in his bedroom to Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, prosecutors have said. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent had testified that the teen’s parents had discussed their son’s fascination with school shooters but decided that it was in a joking context and not a serious issue.

Three weeks before the shooting, Gray received a chilling text from his son: “Whenever something happens, just know the blood is on your hands,” according to Smith.

Colin Gray was also aware his son’s mental health had deteriorated and had sought help from a counseling service weeks before the shooting, an investigator testified.

“We have had a very difficult past couple of years and he needs help. Anger, anxiety, quick to be volatile. I don’t know what to do,” Colin Gray wrote about his son.

But Smith said Colin Gray never followed through on concerns about getting his son admitted to an in-patient facility.

The trial is being held in Winder, in Barrow County, where the shooting happened. The defense asked for a change of venue because of pretrial publicity, and prosecutors agreed. The judge kept the trial in Winder but decided to bring in jurors from nearby Hall County to hear the case. Jurors were selected last week.

Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia.

District Attorney Brad Smith, left, points to a weapon that was displayed on the screen during the first day of the trial of Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, in the courtroom at the Barrow County courthouse, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Winder, Ga. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

District Attorney Brad Smith points to the defendant Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, during Smith's opening statements in the courtroom at the Barrow County courthouse, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Winder, Ga. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, looks down as his attorney gives his opening statement in the courtroom at the Barrow County courthouse, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Winder, Ga. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

FILE - Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, sits in the courtroom at the Barrow County courthouse, on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Winder,Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FILE - Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, arrives to the courtroom at the Barrow County courthouse on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Winder,Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pathum Nissanka's unbeaten 100 powered Sri Lanka into the T20 World Cup Super 8s and left former champion Australia's prospects hanging by a thread on Monday.

Sri Lanka thrashed Australia by eight wickets with two overs to spare. Pavan Rathnayake hit the winning runs straight after Nissanka reached his century off 52 balls and was greeted by massive cheers in Pallekele International Stadium. The packed crowd roared again one delivery later when Rathanayake finished the match with a boundary to deep square.

The third win from three matches ensured Sri Lanka advanced to the second round, two years after failing to do so for the first time at the T20 World Cup in the West Indies.

Australia could be knocked out in the group stage for the first time since 2009 if unbeaten Zimbabwe beats Ireland on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, England also reached the Super 8s after a surviving a scare from Italy in Kolkata. England came back from 105-5 to post 202-7. Italy was cut short on 178.

In New Delhi, Afghanistan shrugged off back-to-back defeats to finally register a win after beating the United Arab Emirates by five wickets. That secured South Africa a spot in the Super 8s.

Despite the short boundaries, Australia was all out for 181 and Sri Lanka chased it down in style at 184-2.

Kusal Mendis joined Nissanka at 8-1 and was the main aggressor in their 97-run stand off 66 balls. Mendis hit his third half-century of the tournament then was out for 51 off 38 in the 13th over.

Nissanka then finished the match with Rathnayake, scoring 51 of the last 79 runs. He achieved his second T20 century and the second for Sri Lanka in men's T20 World Cup history after bashing five sixes and 10 boundaries. Rathnayake was 28 not out.

The Australians started the match impressively. Captain Mitch Marsh, making his first tournament appearance after a groin injury and Travis Head opened with 104 runs off 51 deliveries. Head was 56 off 29 with three sixes and seven boundaries when he was caught at long-off.

Cameron Green was stumped by Kusal Mendis on 3 and Marsh went in the next over, lbw to Dushan Hemantha, who took 3-37.

Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana injured his calf after only four deliveries and hobbled off with help, and Sri Lanka Cricket said he will undergo a scan on Tuesday.

Australia was 151-4 after 15 overs but lost 30-6 in the last five, fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera claiming 3-36.

“One of the best performances in the recent past,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said. “We were still positive after losing Pathirana. We had that confidence and knew about the wicket. Everyone wanted to contribute somehow: Chameera, Theekshana, Hemantha. Pathirana is a big miss.

England, defending 202, was threatened as No. 6 batter Grant Stewart hit 45 off 23.

But Sam Curran (3-22) and Jamie Overton (3-18) held their nerve in the last two overs and Italy succumbed for 178.

Ben Manenti smashed a swashbuckling 25-ball 60 with six sixes, reviving Italy from 22-3 with Justin Mosca. Then Manenti and Mosca fell within three overs of each other.

Bowling allrounder Stewart, who had only two runs from Italy's previous two matches, took up the challenge. He and Jaspreet Singh took 21 runs in the 18th over off Adil Rashid and England was sweating. But when Stewart skewed Curran to short third in the 19th over Italy was done.

England was also in deep trouble earlier at 105-5 in the 13th over with the Italians sharing the wickets around.

Will Jacks saved the two-time champion English when he thumped 53 not out off 22 balls including four sixes. His and England's relief was palpable afterwards.

"The most important thing is we've qualified but we need to be better, simple as that,” Jacks said.

Afghanistan still had only a slim chance of advancing from Group D after its first win at the expense of UAE. The victory secured South Africa a spot in the Super 8s and New Zealand had a chance to secure the other group spot if it beats Canada in Chennai on Tuesday.

UAE was restricted to 160-9 with Azmatullah Omarzai taking 4-15 in four overs.

Omarzai then hit 40 not out off 21 balls and opener Ibrahim Zadran cracked 53 off 41 for Afghanistan to reach 162-5 with four balls to spare.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka celebrates his century during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka celebrates his century during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Eranga Jayawardena)

Italy's Crishan Kalugamage, second from left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of England's Sam Curran during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Italy's Crishan Kalugamage, second from left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of England's Sam Curran during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

England's Sam Curran celebrates the wicket of Italy's Grant Stewart during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

England's Sam Curran, second from left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Italy's Grant Stewart during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

England's Sam Curran hits a six during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Italy in Kolkata, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Afghanistan's captain Rashid Khan, centre, watches United Arab Emirates' Sohaib Khan after bowls a delivery during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates in New Delhi, India, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)