Mom of Georgia school shooting suspect: ‘If I could take their place, I would’

(WINDER, Ga.) — The mother of Colt Gray, the 14-year-old suspected of opening fire at his Georgia high school, was in tears and overcome with emotion while speaking to ABC News.

“If I could take their place, I would. I would in a heartbeat,” Marcee Gray said Sunday night.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith told ABC News that the timeline of phone calls and events on the morning of the Apalachee High School shooting are being investigated.

This comes as allegations by the accused shooter’s aunt raise new questions about whether Colt Gray’s mother warned school officials of an “extreme emergency” about 30 minutes before the gunfire on Wednesday.

Colt Gray’s aunt, Annie Polhamus Brown, confirmed to ABC News that Marcee Gray called a school counselor on Wednesday morning, telling school officials to find her son and check on him immediately. This news was first reported by The Washington Post.

According to the Post, “That account is supported by a call log from the family’s shared phone plan, which shows a 10-minute call from the mother’s phone to the school starting at 9:50 a.m. — about a half-hour before witnesses have said the gunman opened fire.”

The sheriff told ABC News he is not aware of that phone call, but he stressed authorities are in the very early stages of the investigation and are working to piece together a timeline. School district officials declined to comment.

Colt Gray is accused of killing two students and two teachers, and injuring nine others, at Apalachee High School on Wednesday.

He is charged with four counts of felony murder. More charges will be filed, prosecutors said.

The teen’s father, Colin Gray, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the GBI said. He is accused of “knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said.

The father and son both made their first court appearances on Friday. Neither has entered a plea and both are set to return to court on Dec. 4.

ABC News’ Toria Tolley, Stephanie Maurice and Darrell Calhoun and contributed to this report.

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