Colt Gray’s aunt defends Apalachee High School shooter on Facebook

Annie Polhamus Brown’s posts defending her nephew Colt Gray, the Apalachee High School shooter, sparked outrage.

Colt Gray’s aunt, Annie Polhamus Brown, has sparked outrage on social media following a series of now-deleted Facebook posts.

Brown defended her nephew, who carried out a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. On September 4, 2024, Gray, 14, shot and killed four people, including two teachers and two students, and wounded nine others. He has been arrested and will be tried as an adult, facing four counts of felony murder.

In her posts, Brown appeared defiant, writing, “They are charging my 14yo nephew as an adult, for murder. Y’all ready to see Polhamus blood in full throttle? Nah, I wouldn’t be either.”

Her comments were condemned as insensitive, with many accusing her of being tone-deaf while families grieved.

Brown also threatened to retaliate against critics, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The backlash was swift, with some commenters calling for the FBI to take action. Despite previous warnings about Gray’s violent tendencies in 2023, local authorities did not have sufficient cause to arrest him at the time.