The maternal grandfather of Colt Gray, who police say killed four and injured nine at the Apalachee High School in Georgia last Wednesday, said on Sunday the teen was “driven” to commit the attack due to a troubled childhood and “evil” father, Colin Gray, who was charged last week in relation to the attack.
Charlie Polhamus told the New York Post on Sunday that Colt Gray was subjected to constant “screaming and hollering” from his father, and suggested spending over a decade in that environment “can affect anybody.”
Polhamus stated to the newspaper, “He was driven by his father to do what he did. That’s as plain as I can put it, and I know I’m right.”
The grandfather described Colin Gray as “evil” and told the Post, “He needs the death penalty.”
A post to the social media platform X, containing an image of Polhamus captured by the New York Post, received more than 5 million views prior to press time.
NEW: The grandfather of Georgia school sh**ter Colt Gray says the boy’s father deserves the de*th penalty for his part in the tragedy.
Maternal grandfather Charles Polhamus says Colin Gray should bear much of the responsibility.
“Spending 11 years with that son of a b*tch… pic.twitter.com/DtxT4jclhD
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 8, 2024
Colin Gray was arrested on Thursday, the same day it was reported the rifle used at the Apalachee High School attack was a Christmas gift from the father to his son. Colin Gray is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children.
In posts to various social media websites, the alleged killer’s mother, Marcee Gray, complained that Colin Gray was abusive, and revealed she left him and relocated her children.
“I know it’s hard to understand from the outside looking in,” wrote Marcee Gray. “Everyone in my and his family couldn’t understand why I stayed as long as I did.”
Since then, it was revealed by Annie Polhamus Brown, the biological sister of Marcee Gray, that the mother relocated with her two youngest children during her divorce from Colin Gray, but that Colt Gray continued to live with his father until the attack.
Brown has additionally claimed Colt Gray sent a text message to Marcee Gray on the morning of the attack, which reportedly prompted her to contact Apalachee High School to warn of an “extreme emergency” that was about to unfold including her son.
Marcee Gray reportedly has a criminal record spanning nearly 20 years, and arrest warrants for her were issued after the attack, stemming from a November 2023 incident with Colin Gray where she was allegedly found with drugs.
Another family member was reportedly warned by Brown that Colt Gray was experiencing “suicidal and homicidal thoughts” in the days prior to the attack.
Polhamus, in separate remarks to CBS News, said the teen’s grandmother spoke to Apalachee High School officials about Colt Gray just one day prior to the attack.
“My wife had gone up there…the day before and met with the teachers to get him some, they were having some problems with him not going to school, and this kind of thing,” said Polhamus, according to the outlet. He later stated, “This was the day before all this stuff happened.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photos “Colt Gray” and “Colin Gray” by Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
