SCHOOL HORROR
1 KILLED, 8 WOUNDED NEAR DENVER
Two students opened fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado on Tuesday, killing one schoolmate, in a mass shooting just miles away from Columbine High School.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock confirmed late Tuesday that eight students had been wounded during the bloody attack, and one had died.
The victim was identified as an 18-year-old male. His name was not released.
The suspected shooters, both male students, were taken into custody, Spurlock said during a press conference Tuesday evening. Authorities told local ABC affiliate KMGH they had recovered three handguns and a rifle, though the latter was not part of the shooting, and said they were looking for more guns.
Late Tuesday night police identified one of the suspects as 18-year-old Devon Erickson but declined to give more details or photos “as it could jeopardize this critical ongoing investigation.”
The second suspect, an unnamed minor, “is a transgender male in the midst of transitioning from female to male,” reported KMGH Denver late Tuesday night, quoting “multiple sources close to the investigation.”
The motive may have been linked to “revenge and anger toward others at the school,” KMGH said, adding that at least one of the two alleged shooters had been involved in drug use, both legal and illegal, and had undergone therapy.
Deputies responded to the scene within two minutes, just before 2 p.m. local time, and “engaged the suspects,” Spurlock said. The shooters fired at two locations at the school, he said.
Police said they don’t believe there are more suspects.
Victims were transported to three hospitals. Three had been discharged as of Tuesday evening, according to CBS Denver.
Spurlock said the victims were 15 and older, but didn’t identify them.
STEM School Highlands Ranch runs from kindergarten to 12th grade and serves 1,800 students. It is about 7.5 miles southeast of Columbine, where gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed 13 people and injured 21 others April 20, 1999.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was “heartbroken” over the fatal shooting.
“I cannot imagine the grief and horror that the family is dealing with,” he said. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family, the community and everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence.”
The FBI has taken over the crime scene, Spurlock said. A suspect’s car was found in the school parking lot and officials are working to get search warrants for the car and both suspects’ houses.
The latest school shooting comes barely a month after a Florida woman “infatuated” with the Columbine school massacre traveled to Colorado, bought a shotgun and leveled a series of threats against Denver-area schools that caused a shutdown. Sol Pais, 18, was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound before she could follow through with her threats.
Exactly a week ago, two students were killed and four were injured in a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Trystan Andrew Terrell, the accused gunman, was charged with several murder counts.