Another Parent Is Found Liable for a Child’s School Shooting
This mental health legal toolkit can help address early warning signs of crisis.
Posted March 12, 2026 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk
On September 4, 2024, ninth-grader Colt Gray used a rifle gifted to him by his father, Colin Gray, to kill four people and injure nine others at his Georgia high school. In a development that echoes the 2021 tragedy in Michigan that saw a school shooter’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, charged with involuntary manslaughter , Colin Gray has been found guilty of more than two dozen charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence.
While no parent has a crystal ball that predicts what challenges their child will experience, there are often warning signs that indicate an adolescent may be headed for a mental health crisis. The Crumbley and Gray families’ legal cases illustrate the moral imperative for parents to seek professional help on behalf of suffering children, as well as the extreme legal necessity to pursue proactive mental health care. Willful blindness, and putting a weapon in the hands of their child, now constitute a crime .
According to news reports , Colt’s parents were aware of his history of panic attacks and violent episodes. In 2023, his father was notified by the FBI when a Discord account linked to Colt’s email was found to be posting threats to “shoot up a middle school” on a message board. Still, he was permitted to keep a firearm in his room.
The first step in such situations is always to eliminate access to a weapon, closely followed by accepting that such behaviors cannot and shouldn’t be swept under the rug. They require the involvement of qualified professionals who can recommend a range of clinical options as well as key legal avenues that are detailed in what I call a “Mental Health Legal Toolkit,” while understanding and accounting for differences in state laws. These legal avenues include:
Of course, a family’s options change considerably once a child turns 18 years old and is considered an adult in the eyes of the law. This milestone—or its approach—should prompt family members to consider additional measures, including:
There is nothing the judicial system can do to bring back the students and teachers killed in Georgia on that terrible day. However, by finding Colin Gray culpable of the murders committed by his son, the courts are following the precedent set in the Crumbley case. As a mental health attorney who knows too well what tragedy a mental health crisis can bring, it is my hope these outcomes serve as strong deterrents for parents opting to ignore their children’s mental health issues and the implications of access to deadly weapons.
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Carolyn Reinach Wolf is a mental health attorney guiding families through the complex landscape of legal issues that impact individuals with serious mental illness and/or substance abuse.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.