DENVER (AP) 鈥 A 16-year-old boy who had been radicalized by an unspecified 鈥渆xtremist network鈥 fired a revolver multiple times during an attack at a suburban Denver high school that wounded two students, authorities said Thursday.
Some students ran and others locked down during Wednesday’s shooting at Evergreen High School in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. One of the victims was shot inside the school and anther outside.
The suspect, student Desmond Holly, shot himself at the school and later died, officials with the Jefferson County sheriff鈥檚 office said.
The school resource officer was on medical leave and two part-time officers who now share the job were not present at the time of the shooting, officials said. The officer working at the school that day had been sent earlier to a nearby accident.
Sheriff鈥檚 office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said during a news conference that Holly had been 鈥渞adicalized by some extremist network,” and suggested authorities came to that conclusion after examining the suspect’s home and phone.
But details on how he allegedly had been radicalized and by what group were not immediately released. Kelley said more information would be disclosed at a later date.
It also remained unclear if Holly knew the victims and had a dispute with them, or if they were shot randomly. Kelley said it 鈥渃ould be a bit of both.鈥
The 900-student campus is located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Denver. The sheriff’s office spokesperson described a chaotic scene as the students sheltered in place or fled.
“He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire reload,” she said. “This went on and on, and as he did that he tried to find new targets.鈥
But the shooter was blocked by secured doors and couldn’t get into areas of the school where students were sheltering, Kelley said. She added that Holly had lots ammunition.
鈥淭he reason we have so many crime scene areas inside is because we have windows shot out. We have lockers that were shot up. We鈥檙e finding spent rounds, unspent rounds. So it鈥檚 a huge area,鈥 she said.
Investigators were searching the suspect’s room, his backpack and his locker as they try to unravel the shooting. They were also in contact with the suspect’s parents.
Kelley said authorities would be looking at whether the parents should face any criminal charges for allowing him access to the gun. Holly had ridden a bus to school Wednesday morning, she said.
The two victims remained in critical condition Thursday, Kelley said.
Ines McCanna said her 15-year-old son was in the cafeteria eating lunch with friends when there was an announcement about an active shooter. Almost simultaneously, they heard shots and ran out of the school.
They tried to get into a nearby house but no one was home, so they made their way to a fire station and waited until the mother of one of the students came to pick them up. McCann said her other son, a junior at the high school, had been eating lunch off campus and soon called to tell her he was safe.
鈥淏ut honestly, until they were in my hands, it didn’t go away 鈥 the fear,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hose couple of seconds where you don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on are probably the worst you could have as a mom.”
At the school, cars of students and staffers remained in the parking lot Thursday. Deputies stopped drivers from entering. A command post was set up outside and authorities could be seen coming and going from the school鈥檚 front entrance. The Colorado and U.S. flags were still flying at the top of flag poles.
Sila Reilly stopped by to lay flowers to honor those injured Wednesday. Not able to get very close, she secured several bouquets of white flowers on the top of fence post near the school鈥檚 baseball field.
鈥淚鈥檓 tired of this being an everyday crisis,鈥 said Reilly said, noting her son will soon be going to a high school much like Evergreen in another school district nearby.
None of the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting fired any shots, Kelley said. She said the officers found the shooter within five minutes of arriving.
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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
