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The grandfather of the teenager accused of carrying out a school shooting in Georgia that left two teachers and two students dead has said the boy's "evil" father should get the death penalty.
Charles Polhamus, 81, is the maternal grandfather of the 14-year-old alleged Apalachee High School shooter, Colt Gray. Polhamus said his former son-in-law, Colin Gray, should face the most severe punishment available under US law.
“Spending 11 years with that son of a b**** screaming and hollering every day — it can affect anybody,” he told the New York Post. "He's evil."
The grandfather agreed that his grandson had to face justice for his alleged actions, but said his father's influence no doubt drove the boy toward violence.
“Colt has to pay for what he did, but I’m telling you, he was driven, no question in my mind,” Polhamus told the outlet. “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."
The elder Gray has been charged with four counts of manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children for his role as an alleged accessory to the shooting.
Investigators claim that the elder Gray gave his son the AR-15-style rifle that was used in the shooting on Wednesday.
Polhamus said that his former son-in-law "got what he deserved" when he was charged, but took it a step further, telling the New York Post that he "needs the death penalty."
Gray will face up to 180 years in prison if he's convicted.
His son, Colt, has been charged with four counts of murder and will face trial as an adult, according to prosecutors. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Polhamus insits his grandon was a "good kid" before he spent his formative years with a "dysfunctional dad who was a screamer and a hollerer."
He also insisted his daughter was a "good person" who only tried to help her son. However, she also has a lengthy criminal record, with numerous drug and domestic violence arrests.
The New York Post spoke to a neighbor who claimed that Colt's mother, Marcee Gray, used to "lock him and his sister out of the house."
“And they would be banging on the back door, just screaming like, ‘Mom! Mom! Mom!’ and crying. It was absolutely devastating," the woman, who requested anonymity, told the paper.
Colt texted his mother on the day of the shooting with a message saying, “I’m sorry, mom.” Roughly a half hour before gunfire was reported, she tried to call the school to warn them that her son might become violent, asking if they could check on him “immediately,” according to The Washington Post.
After the shooting, Marcee Gray complained to her sister about the time that had elapsed between when she called the school and when the massacre unfolded. It was “just a long time for them to intervene so I’m curious to know what happened in that time,” she texted her sister.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that Marcee Gray contacted the school before the shooting unfolded.
