A week after a shooting that left four people dead and nine others injured at Barrow County's Apalachee High School, the county sheriff recounted the events of that day to AccessWDUN.
Sheriff Jud Smith said the school received a call shortly before Colt Gray, age 14, began shooting inside the school.
"His mother did call and we did act...she had spoken to someone in the school and advised them that (her) son was acting strange," Smith said. "We were attempting to find (Colt Gray), but there was a student with an extremely similar name to him in the classroom.
"We went and got the other student and brought him up front, and while the sergeant and the other full-time (school resource officer) was there...the shooting began."
Smith said once the shooting started, the two SRO's ran towards the gunfire.
"They were approximately 75 yards away from Colt Gray, who was brandishing a semi-automatic AR-style rifle and they ran towards him," Smith said. "We will never know why he didn't shoot...they charged him, giving him verbal commands...he complied. Had he not complied, they would have handled business."
Smith touted the bravery of both the SRO's and the teachers inside the school during the shooting.
"The teachers acted like they had been told. They are just as brave, in my opinion (as the officers,)" Smith said. "The (emergency services) teams that went inside with us are just as brave. Unarmed, not knowing what they're walking into."
Smith also responded to recent reports that the Jackson County Sheriff's Office investigated a school threat allegedly made by Colt Gray in May 2023. Smith said while he was initially frustrated to learn that the alleged Apalachee shooter had been the subject of a previous investigation, he does not fault the Jackson County investigators.
"I think where, maybe, the disconnect was was reporting it to the school system that this may have happened," Smith said. "At first you're like, you've got to be kidding me...but then once you sit down and read the whole file and everything that's there, they did their job."
The investigation into Colt Gray in May 2023 came while the then-13-year-old was enrolled at Jefferson Middle School. At some point between then and the September 4, 2024 shooting, his family moved to Barrow County with Colt enrolling at Apalachee High School for his freshman year.
Smith said he has been contacted by several Georgia state legislators about what he believes could be done to prevent similar situations from happening in the future. He said he believes law enforcement agencies and school systems should have better systems in place to communicate when a child who has been investigated for threats has moved into a new school.
"I hope in the future there are things put in place that we make sure to check off some boxes or a report gets filed with the state that this person is a person of interest," Smith said. "A lot of surrounding counties and surrounding agencies are going out and arresting people and making charges of people making these threats...I make it very clear in Barrow County, we've always taken it seriously. I think Jackson County took it seriously based on their actions."
Smith said the Barrow County community is still reeling from the shooting, but he said the support he's seen from across the area has been encouraging.
"Barrow County is tough. We're a tough community. I grew up born and raised here...it's a tight-knit community," Smith said. "I'm not surprised with us coming together...I'm very happy that I live in Barrow County. God is going to shine through all of this. His will is going to be done, regardless of the hate and the stuff that has happened in our community."
Click play on the video above to hear more from Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.
