Vigil for school shooting victims in Parkland, Florida, via (Fabrice Florin/Flickr), CC BY-ND 4.0
Another Case of Gun Violence
On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, a school shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Two students and two teachers were killed, as well as nine injured. The gunman was a 14 year old student, Colt Gray. Gray has had a difficult homelife, which does not excuse it, but explains the behavior expressed on September 4, as poor living quality and domestic violence can greatly affect a child.
Build-up Behind A Violent Outbreak
Gray has experienced a lot of transitions in his life in the past two years. In 2022, Gray’s parents divorced, along with his family getting evicted from their home. Along with Gray’s mother, Macree Gray, being charged with criminal trespassing and family violence in December of 2023. A month earlier, Marcee was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl and muscle relaxants, but was not charged for drug possession.
My grandson did what he did because of the environment that he lived in,
Charlie Polhamus, Gray’s grandfather, said.
Gray’s living conditions and exposure to domestic violence can majorly impact a person’s behavior, especially at his young age. When children are exposed to domestic violence their sense of control becomes undermined, which can create aggressive behavior.
Gray has sparked interest in school shootings before this. Especially the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida during 2018. He was also suspected of writing a Discord, a media platform, message claiming he was going to, “shoot up the school” in March of 2023. It is unclear how long he has been living through these conditions, but they have clearly affected him neurologically which has led him to use aggressive and violent behavior to cope.
The tension has been building up throughout the years as Gray has a lack of stability which affects his ability to make reasonable decisions. When his father, Colin Gray, gifted him the gun used in the shooting in Christmas of 2023, it influenced Gray’s thinking and resulted in him causing the shooting on September 4. Gray’s situation is one of many outcomes that could happen to children surrounded by unstable living conditions. Some children have more internal outputs to release the stress that they have to deal with on a daily basis. For those who need help or know someone in need of help the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at the number 800-799-7233.
