The teenager faces four counts of aggravated murder after allegedly killing two classmates, also 14, and two teachers at Apalachee High School in the southern state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Nine people, most of them minors, were injured in the attack and are recovering, according to authorities.
The suspect’s father, Colin Gray, 54, was arrested and faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. His is the latest case of a father facing criminal charges for the actions of a minor in a mass shooting in the United States.
The charges against him come after he “knowingly” allowed his son to possess a gun, according to statements to the press by Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Citing anonymous sources, CNN claimed the gun used in the shooting was a gift from the suspected shooter’s father, apparently an assault rifle.
The GBI had previously said the suspect would be tried as an adult. He will appear in court on Friday and additional charges are expected.
“The investigation into the shooting at Apalachee High School remains active and ongoing,” the agency said in a message on X.
He added that the four victims would undergo autopsies on Thursday.
School shootings are common in the United States, where there are more guns than people and regulations are lax, even for buying military-style rifles.
In recent months, there has been increasing debate about the responsibility of parents in massacres, particularly those committed by minors.
“How can you have an assault rifle, a gun in a house, without it being locked up and knowing that your son knows where it is?” President Joe Biden lamented on Thursday, speaking to reporters.
“Parents must be held responsible if they allow their children to have access to these weapons,” the president added.
In April, the parents of a teenager who killed four people in a school shooting were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison in an unprecedented case.
Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first parents convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the United States for the actions of their son.
Polls show a majority of voters favor tighter controls on gun use and purchase, but a powerful lobby group opposes further restrictions and Congress is at odds.