New details are surfacing about the home life of accused Georgia school shooter Colt Gray and his parents. His mother, Marcee, reportedly had multiple run-ins with the law. A former neighbor also alleges that Gray grew up in an abusive home.
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According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gray's mother Marcee has a criminal record that stretches back 17 years. The outlet reported that she was previously arrested on domestic violence, property damage, traffic violations, driving under the influence, and drug possession. Reports show she was in jail as recently as April.
According to a former neighbor, Lauren Vickers, Gray grew up in a broken home. Speaking with New York Post, Vickers alleges that Gray's mother was abusive and neglectful to her children.
"There were nights where the mom would lock him and his sister out the house. And they would be banging on the back door, just screaming like 'Mom! mom! mom!' and crying. It was absolutely devastating," she said.
She said the children didn't have clean clothes.
"No clean clothes, I'm not exaggerating. It was constant abuse," she said. "It's very, very sad."
The neighbor further detailed that Marcee regularly abused drugs and alcohol.
"I would find her in the driveway, passed out, with the car running and blaring music early in the morning," Vickers said. "She would have taken the little one to daycare or pre-K. She was driving him like that."
As for Gray, Vickers observed that he was often silent and withdrawn. She said she saw him skipping school and wandering around the nearby woods. The neighbor said she called child services several times, but she said they ultimately didn't do anything.
Colt Gray's Household
Meanwhile, Gray's maternal grandfather told CNN that the living situation was hostile.
"His dad beat up on him, I mean, I'm not talking about physical, but screaming and hollering, and he did the same thing to my daughter," Charles Polhamus said.
But a former landlord said Gray's father, Colin was "trying his best to be a stand-up guy." He described Gray's mother as the issue at the home at the time.
"She was locking them out in inclement weather. Freezing weather," he said. "The neighbors reported [Marcee] was driving down the street in her car, drunk, fell out the car, with the door open and the engine running. As a landlord, I can't tolerate this kind of behavior in a neighborhood where a tenant might be putting other children at risk."
