By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-24 16:12:38 | Updated at 2026-07-28 06:52:05
3 days ago
A teenager who shot four people dead in a rampage at his Georgia school was seen laughing Friday as a survivor read out her victim impact statement in court.
Colt Gray, 16, grinned and smiled as Natalie Griffith recounted how the September 2024 attack had left her unable to use her left hand.
She was among the nine people injured in the bloodbath at Apalachee High School, which claimed the lives of two of her classmates and two teachers.
Gray was just 14 when he carried out the massacre. He formally admitted to all 55 charges relating to the fatal shooting on Friday.
His plea means he must be sentenced to a minimum term of life in jail, however a judge is now deciding whether he will ever be eligible for parole.
As part of the hearing, the court heard statements from some of the family members of the four people killed: Mason Schermerhorn, 14, Christian Angulo 14, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.
Survivors including Griffith also provided harrowing testimony of the impact the shooting had on their lives.
However, the speed at which Griffith rattled off the devastating impact of her injuries prompted laughter in the court, including from Gray, after the judge asked her to slow down.
School shooter Colt Gray, 16, laughed as a survivor read out her victim impact statement
'I got shot twice, once in my wrist and once in my upper arm,' Griffith said. 'I lost the ability to use my left hand, but on some days it doesn't feel like that is the biggest thing I lost.
'After the shooting I lost my independent, I could not put on my own clothes or do my own hair, things that were easy for me became a challenge.'
The court also heard from Gray's classmate Nautica Walton who told him: 'I hate everything about you.'
'I hate the scars you left on my body. I hate that you took innocent lives in front of innocent people. Most of all, I hate that I let you live in my mind,' she said.
Survivor Hayden Bowen told the court she has frequent panic attacks and struggles to be alone since the shooting but showed mercy as she addressed Gray in court.
'I want to start off by saying I forgive you,' Bowen sobbed. 'Not for you, but for me and my peace.'
This is a developing story.
