Colin Gray trial, day 8: Jury watches emotional police interview as prosecutors focus on gun access, inconsistencies

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — The jury in the trial of Colin Gray spent most of Wednesday watching and listening to recorded interviews from September 2024, as prosecutors sharpened their focus on how Gray's son accessed the rifle used in the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School.

CBS News Atlanta has been closely following the case since its beginning. 

According to trial coverage from Skyler Henry, the day centered largely on a more than two-hour interview between Gray and Barrow County Sheriff's Office criminal investigator Jason Smith. 

Jurors also viewed a recorded interview between Gray's daughter, Jenni, and a specialist at The Tree House, a child advocacy center in Barrow County.

An emotional interview played in court

In the recorded interview, an emotional Gray can be heard sobbing as Smith explains what happened during the shooting, including who was killed and injured.

"I would never ever in a thousand years believe that this would happen to him," Gray told investigators in 2024.

Prosecutors highlighted what they described as inconsistencies in Gray's statements — inconsistencies that Smith testified ultimately led to Gray's arrest.

Focus on rifle purchase and storage

In the interview, Gray admitted he purchased the Sig Sauer AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift for his son, saying the two bonded over hunting.

Gray told investigators that firearms in the home were generally stored unloaded at the top of his closet. However, he acknowledged that his son would sometimes take the rifle to "clean it" and "mess with it," referencing accessories he purchased in the months after buying the gun.

Prosecutors also questioned Gray about why the firearms were not locked. According to testimony, Gray said he could not afford secure gun storage at the time and had a $124 storage container sitting in his Amazon cart.

But bank records introduced as evidence showed Gray received $9,000 from his employer the month before the shooting, which prosecutors argued contradicted his claim.

Gray also acknowledged that ammunition was not locked away, though he maintained the firearms were not stored loaded.

Daughter describes volatile home life

The jury also reviewed testimony from 14-year-old Jenni, Gray's daughter, who previously described a volatile home life and pressure from her father to "cover for him" before she testified at The Tree House.

She told jurors she had lied during her initial interview when asked whether her father knew about her brother's obsession with school shooters and what she described as a "shrine" to Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz.

Jenni testified that she and her younger brother are now living with a foster family and that her current home environment feels "more loving, more stable, and more family-like."

What's next

Prosecutors indicated they expect to call their final two witnesses Thursday, with questioning likely lasting into the early afternoon  . The final witness is expected to review additional surveillance video from the 2024 shooting that will not be shown on the pool camera.

Court resumes Thursday at 9 a.m.