Denver students march for gun control after shooting death of teen near school

DENVER — Several hundred teens skipped class Friday and marched to Colorado’s state Capitol to demand stricter gun laws, following the death of a fellow 16-year-old student who was shot while sitting in a car near school.

Students gathered outside East High School just as classes were set to start and listened to a poem written by Luis Garcia about the “bipolar city” he experienced with gunshots and car alarms going off in the middle of the night.

The students then held an 11-second moment of silence to honor the slain soccer player who wore a jersey with the number 11, before they began the 1.5-mile walk to the Capitol. Police officers on motorcycles stopped traffic at intersections so the students could stream down the street during the demonstration, which was organized by Colorado Students Demand Action and Moms Demand Action.

Garcia was hospitalized after being shot Feb. 13 at the edge of the school’s campus near downtown Denver. His death was announced Wednesday by police.

Two teens found in the suspected stolen car spotted near the shooting were arrested later that day after a short chase but have not been charged in the shooting, police said in a statement. A 17-year-old is being held on suspicion of illegal possession of a handgun, and a 16-year-old is being held for investigation of auto theft and felony eluding. They attended public schools in Denver but not East High, according to police. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

Gun violence among teens in the city has been rising, according to the Denver Post. Last year, 17 teens were shot and killed in Denver, almost double the number five years ago.

Felix Hillhouse, 15, said Luis was one of the nicest people he had met at the school and was the first person to talk to him in a math class that was mostly filled with older students. He said he had to protest someone like that getting killed for simply sitting in a car.

When asked for his thoughts about why violence among teens is rising, he said he has seen students get more angry more easily since the pandemic and also want to prove they are tough.

“They want to be seen as someone you don’t want to mess with,” he said.