Risk
Warnings Weren’t Heeded in the Georgia School Shootings
Four people were killed and nine others hospitalized on Wednesday September 4, 2024 in what’s become a horribly familiar story: a 14-year-old shooter brought an automatic weapon to school, opening fire in a classroom at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
School shootings are increasingly — and tragically — common. Although they've steadily been on the rise over the past few decades, the last few years have seen a jump in school shootings. There have already been 244 shooting incidents at schools in 2024. The shooting at Apalachee High School is 2024’s deadliest school shooting so far.
It could have — and should have — been prevented.
There were warning signs
This shooting should never have happened for many reasons, but especially because the school was warned by at least two people, including the shooter’s mother.
The mother of 14-year-old Colt Gray called the school that morning after receiving a text from her son that concerned her. When she spoke to a counselor she was allegedly told that her child had been talking about school shootings. Her response was that the school should locate her son immediately. (Later, another student reported that the wrong teen was pulled out of class that day.)
Another call was placed to the school that morning by an unknown person, who said there would be a shooting that day. The student was also investigated for having made threats against the school a year before.
There were plenty of signs that shooting was going to take place, but no one prevented it.
The teen’s family bought him the gun
Gray’s father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, was also arrested in connection with the shootings. Colin Gray allegedly purchased the automatic weapon for his son as a Christmas present after the 2023 threats were investigated. At the time the father knew that his son was struggling and had allegedly threatened violence — the police had interviewed him about the threats his son had made earlier.
Despite saying he’d remove guns from the home if his son threatened violence, Colin Gray bought him the gun anyhow.
Planning ahead is the way to stop school shootings
It’s frankly astonishing that this school shooting was able to happen with so many red flags, but it also paints a picture of how unprepared most schools are for an incident.
I once heard a Department of Homeland Security agent tell a room of professionals that “99% of all school shootings can be prevented with cameras and access control.” A lot of people still subscribe to this mentality, but access control and cameras can’t solve school shootings.
Planning is paramount when it comes to school safety. Take the school safety standard that’s being developed by ASIS International for release in 2025. This standard provides guidance for the development, implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of a school security program for K-12 schools. It’s the first of its kind, and brings planning to the forefront in preparing for school violence.
Need help assessing your inherent risk? Contact Circadian Risk to talk to an expert about how to assess your site and prepare for the new standard.
About the Author
