WINDER, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Facing a maximum of 180 years in prison if convicted on 29 felony counts, Colin Gray is taking the stand in his own defense Friday in a trial related to the Sept. 4, 2024, Apalachee High School shooting.

Colt Gray is accused of carrying out the shooting, but his father is accused of allowing the teen access to the AR-style rifle recovered after the shooting, as well as a variety of ammunition and accessories also recovered.

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Judge Nicholas Primm reminded Colin Gray Friday morning he did not have to testify in the trial, and informed him of his rights. Defense attorneys also said Colin Gray is the only defense witness they expect to call. Closing arguments could begin Monday.

Colin Gray said his son never indicated to him he wanted to harm anyone or commit a school shooting.

Colin Gray testified Friday he was unaware of a concerning online search his son conducted in 2011 and he worked to bond with the boy through outdoor activities as family troubles mounted in subsequent years.

Appearing calm and composed on the witness stand, Colon Gray outlined his family’s move from Winder to Fitzgerald, Georgia, when his son Colt was in sixth grade. Colin Gray said the relocation was driven by his need to recover from two back surgeries and his desire to provide his family with a slower-paced lifestyle.

“I wanted to connect with my kids more,” Gray said of the move.

At that time, Colt Gray appeared to be adjusting well. Colin Gray said his son was making friends, playing little league football and “doing good for all I could tell.”

However, tensions emerged when Colt Gray entered seventh grade. Colin Gray testified his son reported being bullied at school. “It was kind of a difficult time for Colt,” Colin Gray said.

The same year, Colin Gray’s marriage to Colt Gray’s mother, Marcee Gray, began to unravel. Colin Gray said he suspected substance abuse issues beyond drinking. The deteriorating household situation was compounded when a landlord dispute forced Marcee Gray and two of Gray’s other children to move back to Fitzgerald, leaving Colin Gray and Colt Gray together in Jefferson.

Colin Gray said he was unaware Colt Gray had searched “How to kill your dad” on a school computer in sixth grade. While Colin Gray said his wife knew of the search, she did not inform him for months. When Colin Gray eventually learned of it, he addressed the matter with Colt Gray.

“Colt said he and his buddies were venting about what their dads would or wouldn’t let them do and Colt just Googled it to be funny,” Colin Gray testified. He said he told his son the matter was serious and not a joking matter. Colin Gray characterized his as having “no other problems” during sixth grade.

With his son in his custody, Colin Gray said he attempted to strengthen their bond through outdoor pursuits. He introduced Colt Gray to deer hunting and golf, and bought him a guitar, efforts he said were designed to keep his son engaged and away from computers and video games.

“I will do whatever I have to do to get Colt interested in the outdoors,” Colin Gray testified.

Colin Gray testified that he purchased an AR-15 rifle and gave it to his son as a Christmas present when the boy was not yet old enough to own the weapon. Colin Gray said Colt Gray was drawn to the rifle’s appearance because of the weapon’s prominent role in the video game “Call of Duty.”

“This is a weapon I want you to shoot when we go to the range,” Colin Gray testified. He said he also told his son: “If you keep doing well in school and graduate when you’re 18, this will be your gun.”

Colin Gray said he introduced Colt Gray to deer hunting and remembered the day his son shot his first deer as particularly significant. “It was the greatest day of his life,” he testified.

Colin Gray testified that police came to his door to investigate alleged school shooter threats Colt Gray made online. He said he told his son the matter was very serious. However, Colin Gray said police told him the IP address associated with the threats came from California and Russia, leaving him uncertain about the threat’s origin.

“Nobody could ever really tell me if this was him,” Colin Gray said, adding while police did not explicitly order him to lock up the guns, they advised that there should not be “free access” to them. Colin Gray said he stored the weapons in his master bedroom closet rather than leaving them “laying around the house.”

Colin Gray acknowledged Colt Gray did not attend physical school during eighth grade, though he said he was “under the impression” his son was doing online schooling. Colin Gray wanted his to repeat eighth grade so he could attend with his sister, Jenni, with whom Colt Gray had a close relationship.

“Could I have done better? Yes, I could’ve done better… I could’ve done more, I see that now,” Gray said, referring to Colt’s absence from physical school.

Colin Gray testified that the upheaval caused by his ex-wife’s substance abuse and legal troubles — including her incarceration — placed significant strain on the children. He described himself as an overwhelmed father attempting to care for all three children while managing the family’s instability.

“There was never a perceived threat by me, leading up to what happened, with Colt,” Colin Gray said. “I never heard or he never spoke to me about doing as drastic a thing as he had done.”

He was a good kid… he was a compassionate little kid… he was a thoughtful young man… would help fold laundry, was teaching him to cook… he was respectful and would appreciate all the things I would buy for him.

Prosecutors rested their case Thursday afternoon after almost two weeks of emotional testimony and dramatic photos and videos they said prove Colin Gray knowingly allowed his son access to firearms despite his knowledge of his son’s unstable mental and emotional condition.

The state’s final exhibit was surveillance video of Colt Gray allegedly carrying out the school shooting. Colin Gray and at least one juror were visibly weeping as the footage was shown.

Both Colin Gray and Colt Gray have pleaded not guilty.

>> Colin Gray’s Apalachee school shooting trial | What you need to know

>> Full coverage of the Apalachee High School shooting

Atlanta News First will stream the trial gavel-to-gavel until its conclusion.

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