Following the tragic shooting that took place at Apalachee High School in Georgia last week, a relative is offering a new and surprising reason behind why Colt Gray's father bought him the AR-15 he used to commit the crime.
A relative spoke with The New York Post, and claims that Colin Gray gave Colt the assault rifle to "toughen him up."
"He would call Colt names to his face," said a relative of Colt's mother, Marcee.
"Names that no boy wants to hear: sissy, p----y, b---h... just names that were meant to break him down and emasculate him," adding: "Colin always thought that Colt was too gentle and tender. That's why I believe he gave him the rifle."
The family member believes it was a disaster just waiting to happen. Colin admitted he had gifted Colt with the AR-15 in December 2023, which would later be the weapon he used to claim the lives of four people and injure another nine.
"When I heard it, I was like, 'What the f-'" said the relative. "You don't give something like that to a kid. It's a recipe for disaster."
Colt's maternal grandfather is also speaking out and condemning Colt's father for influencing his grandson.
"He's evil," said Charles Polhamus. "Spending 11 years with that son of a bitch screaming and hollering every day-it can affect anybody."
"They couldn't; they didn't survive in it," Polhamus said of the family.
He maintains that while the Georgia shooter should pay for his crimes, so should his father, who currently faces up to 180 years in prison.
"Colt has to pay for what he did, but I'm telling you, he was driven, no question in my mind," Polhamus said.
"He was driven by his father to do what he did. That's as plain as I can put it, and I know I'm right."
"Colin Gray got what he deserved too," he said, doubling down."He needs the death penalty."
The grandfather stated that prior to the horrific crime, Colt was actually a good kid, and he'll preach that forever, he said before blaming Colt's actions on living with a dysfunctional father who was a "screamer and hollerer."
"Colt is like a lot of young kids these days with the tablets and some of the garbage they pull up, the blood, and all the fighting," Polhamus said.
"If you don't think that has an impact on young kids, you're missing the boat, and that was also part of Colt's problem."
