A Georgia judge has sentenced the teenager who pleaded guilty to murder in the 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School to life in prison without parole.

The latest: Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm handed down the sentence less than a week after 16-year-old Colt Gray entered guilty pleas to all 55 charges he faced.

• Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, faced a minimum sentence of life in prison for the murder charge, but the judge had to decide if he would be eligible for parole.

What they're saying: Primm said he understands Gray had a rough childhood and was "failed by each of your parents," but that doesn't absolve him from his choices.

• "You do not seem to be tormented by what you did," Primm said. "You seem to relish following in the footsteps of the murderers you idolize. You aren't racked with guilt. You're proud of yourself."

Zoom in: Breanna Schermerhorn, the mother of 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, one of the four people killed in the shooting, said her son went out of his way to make other students feel safe and became friends with peers who previously bullied him.

• "I had no doubt in my mind if Colt had actually attended school, as he should have, that Mason would have befriended him," she said Friday during the sentencing hearing, according to GPB.

Catch up quick: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Colt Gray used an AR-style weapon to kill four people and injure nine others in the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school in Winder.

• The victims were identified as two students, Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, 14, and math teachers Christina Irimie, 53, and Aspinwall, 39, who was also an assistant football coach.
• Of the nine people injured, the GBI said eight were students and one was a teacher.

Flashback: Gray's father, Colin Gray, was also charged in connection with the shooting. He was convicted in March by a trial jury of second-degree murder and other charges.

What's next: Colin Gray is set to be sentenced later this week.

Share this story

City leaders want Atlanta to leave the 19th century behind and pave the remaining dirt or gravel streets hidden around town.

Why it matters: A comprehensive inventory of Atlanta's dirt and gravel roads could ease frequent complaints from southwest and southeast Atlanta residents and concerns from first responders.

Zoom in: Atlanta City Council member Antonio Lewis and colleagues want the city's Department of Transportation to find all of the "unimproved, unpaved, dirt, gravel, and rocky roads" in their districts and to recommend fixes.

Catch up quick: In 2025, southwest Atlanta residents demanded the city pave two unimproved streets that caused delivery trucks and residents' cars to get stuck, Fox 5 reports.

Reality check: The transportation department is aware of the dirt and gravel roads; the City Council is considering a renewal of a contract to improve several.

In the weeds: Council member Alex Wan pushed for the inventory to cover the entire city, not just a few districts.

• Council member Dustin Hillis also called for projects to be prioritized according to the number of residents who live along the unpaved road.

What's next: Full Council could consider the legislation when members return from the summer recess on Aug. 3.

Share this story

A Castleberry Hill clothing store is turning a recent brazen burglary into revenue to reopen the business.

Driving the news: Identity ATL closed its doors to rebuild after three suspects backed a U-Haul delivery truck repeatedly into the Walker Street business earlier this month.

• According to 11 Alive, the truck created a hole in the storefront and the suspects made off with clothing and bags.

Zoom in: Rod Thomas, the store's owner, made a shirt that recreates the scene of the crime.

• Profits from the sale of the shirt will help the store rebuild and reopen, according to Identity.

What they're saying: The response has been overwhelming, Thomas told Axios.

• "We could've just closed our doors, but we wanted to turn a painful situation into something that represents resilience."
• "Every shirt is a reminder that we're still here, still building, and not letting the people responsible write our story."

👋 Virginia Hepner, the former president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, will serve as interim head of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta while the nonprofit searches for a new leader. (Saporta Report)

🍽️ The Bank of America building's new owner is partnering with the hospitality group behind New York City's Penn District to add a bar/restaurant and tenant club on the 37th floor of Atlanta's tallest tower. (AJC)

Wellstar is laying off 761 corporate and administrative employees, or roughly 2% of its workforce, to cut costs and streamline operations. "Frontline care team" workers are not affected. (Fox 5, AJC)

President Trump denied clemency bids by two former Atlanta city officials who were convicted in a federal corruption probe of City Hall. (CBS News)