The teen accused of killing four at Apalachee High School on September 4 reportedly used a rifle to force his mother out of his bedroom just three weeks before the devastating attack, his grandmother said in a report published Thursday.
Just weeks before authorities say 14-year-old Colt Gray attacked Apalachee High School, the teen apparently used a rifle to force his mother out of a bedroom during a fight, his grandmother Debbie Polhamus told The Washington Post.
During the altercation, Colt Gray reportedly called his grandmother to complain Marcee Gray was angry and “acting weird again,” and due to an apparent history of violence within the family, Debbie Polhamus told the publication she advised her grandson to shut himself in his bedroom.
According to the outlet, family members said Marcee Gray proceeded to enter the room, and Colt Gray “decided to confront his mother” using the rifle reportedly purchased as a Christmas gift for the teen by his father, 54-year-old Colin Gray.
He used the rifle to shove his mother out of the room and into a hallway wall, according to The Post.
The grandmother reportedly said her grandson told her, “I really need you to get my mother out of this house,” and told the outlet she identified the phone call as the moment Colt Gray lost hope for his situation.
Marcee Gray was indicted with elder abuse charges in September, when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Ben Hill County accused her of taping her 73-year-old mother, Debbie Polhamus, to a chair and abandoning her. Her charges include exploitation and intimidation of an elderly person, false imprisonment, second-degree criminal property damage, and theft.
Prior to her arrest, the mother penned an open letter in the wake of the crimes allegedly committed by her son, declaring he “is not a monster.”
She wrote, “My son Colt is not a monster. He is my oldest baby. He is quiet, thoughtful, caring, funny, and extremely intelligent. Please pray for him and the rest of our family, as I am praying for all of you every moment of every day.”
The mother’s elderly father, Charlie Polhamus, previously said his grandson was “driven” to commit the attack by his “evil” father, Colin Gray, who remains jailed after being charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and eight counts of cruelty to children for allegedly giving his son the rifle.
Social media posts, purportedly written by Marcee Gray and uncovered by The Georgia Star News, revealed the mother claimed to have suffered “almost constant domestic abuse” at the hands of her ex-husband.
Investigators have revealed Colt Gray missed nine of the 12 possible days he could have attended at Apalachee High School after he enrolled late, beginning classes weeks into the school year.
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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].
