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Georgia high school shooting suspect's mom defends her son in message to victims' families

The mother of the 14-year-old suspected of shooting up a Winder, Georgia, high school and killing four people last week has apologized to the victims’ families in an open letter, according to a new report. 

Just one week ago, Gray allegedly opened fire at the school, leaving two students and two teachers dead. Seven other victims had gunshot wounds, and two others suffered other injuries, police said. 

A woman believed to be Marcee Gray sits in a car outside the home of suspected Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray and his father in Winder, Georgia, on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (Ben Hendren for Fox News Digital)

The victims were identified as Richard Aspinwall, 39; Cristina Irimie, 53; and Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. 

"If I could take the place of Mason and Christian, I would without a second thought," Marcee Gray wrote in the letter, later adding her "heart breaks for the 2 teachers who gave their lives while in the service of teaching and protecting our children."

The suspected shooter was identified as 14-year-old Colt Gray, a student. (The Barrow County Sheriff's Office)

She said the last message she’d received from her son was, "I’m sorry, Mom," and that his father had received similar texts – "I’m sorry" and "You’re not to blame for this." 

Marcee Gray in a 2023 booking photo from the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office. (Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office)

"We are all in a living nightmare right now, and I will personally never forgive myself for what has happened," she wrote in the new letter, "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."

She could not immediately be reached for comment.

Students embrace near a makeshift memorial at Apalachee High School on Thursday, Sept. 5, in Winder, Georgia. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

The teenage suspect's father, Colin Gray, 54, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children.