Georgia school shooter on FBI radar since 2023 as possible threat after online remarks
The FBI has confirmed that the alleged shooter who killed two students and two teachers and wounded nine others at a Georgia high school Wednesday has been on its radar as a possible threat since last year.
In a joint statement, the FBI's Atlanta field office and Jackson County Sheriff's Office said the agency's National Threat Operations Center received an anonymous tip about threats posted online regarding a possible school shooting in May 2023.
The agencies said that the threats contained images of guns.
Within 24 hours of receiving the anonymous tip, investigators determined the threats originated in Georgia and the matter was referred to the sheriff’s office.
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"The Jackson County Sheriffs’ Office located a possible subject, a 13-year-old male, and interviewed him and his father," the FBI said. "The father stated he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them."
The agencies said the boy denied making the threats and authorities alerted local schools to monitor the child.
"At that time, there was no probable cause for arrest or to take any additional law enforcement action on the local, state, or federal levels," the FBI said.
On Wednesday, authorities identified Colt Gray, now 14, as the shooter who killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School. Gray surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody following the rampage.
"As a follow to the Joint Statement just released, the subject referred to as the 13-year-old is the same subject in custody related to today's shootings at Apalachee High School," the FBI said.
Authorities said he is expected to be charged as an adult with murder.
Investigators are still trying to determine if anyone was specially targeted, but they were not aware of any known connections between Gray and the victims.
Authorities were "looking into every aspect of that individual, his connection here at the school," said Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Gray was 13 back in May 2023 when the FBI referred the threat to the Jackson County Sheriff's office. The family resided in Jackson County at that time and, according to an FBI source, the family have since relocated to Barrow County, Georgia.
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Georgia authorities have not released the identities of the deceased and wounded victims of the Apalachee High School shooting, but one woman came forward to say her father was shot.
In a public Facebook post on Wednesday, a woman named Katie Phenix explained that her father, David Phenix, had been shot at the school.
"We are so thankful for all the texts, calls, and messages about my dad, David Phenix," the daughter wrote. "There was a shooting this morning at Apalachee High School and my dad was shot in the foot and in the hip, shattering his hip bone."
"He arrived to the hospital alert and awake. He just got out of surgery and is stable," she added. "We will update as we hear new information. We are so, so lucky, but please keep our family as well as the AHS family in your prayers."
The Barrow County School System will close all its schools for the remainder of the week, said Dallas LeDuff, the county’s superintendent.
LeDuff said the schools will be closed while the district "cooperates fully with law enforcement" and that grief counseling would be available.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.