Police: 2 administrators shot at Denver high school

A 17-year-old student shot and wounded two school administrators at a Denver high school Wednesday morning, after a handgun was found during a daily search of the boy that was being conducted because of behavioral issues, authorities said.

Suspect Austin Lyle remained at large following the shooting at East High School and was wanted for attempted homicide. The gun he used was not immediately recovered, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said.

Police issued an alert linking Lyle to a red 2005 Volvo X90 with Colorado plates and offered a reward up to $2,000 for information on the case.

The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. in an area away from classrooms as the student was undergoing a search as part of a “safety plan” that required him to be patted down daily, officials said.

One of the administrators was critically injured and was undergoing surgery Wednesday at an area hospital. The second victim was in stable condition, Thomas said. Both victims are male.

”He obviously is armed and dangerous and willing to use the weapon, as we’ve learned this morning,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock warned as law enforcement searched for the suspect.

Earlier this month students from the school skipped class and marched to Colorado’s state Capitol to demand stricter gun laws, following the death of a fellow student who was shot while sitting in a car near the school, which has about 2,500 students.

There were no school resource officers on campus at the time of Wednesday’s shooting, Thomas said. But following the shooting, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said two armed officers will be posted at East High School through the end of the school year.

Students from East High School had been scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon before the Colorado Legislature on gun safety bills.

“This is the reality of being young in America: sitting through a shooting and waiting for information just hours before you’re scheduled to testify in support of gun safety bills,” said Gracie Taub, a 16year-old East High School sophomore and volunteer with Students Demand Action in Colorado.

“Our school experience should not be completely shaped by gun violence,” she added.

The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting had transferred to East High School from another district, Marrero said. Officials did not reveal why the student was being searched daily.

Marrero said safety plans for students are enacted in response to “past educational and also behavioral experiences,” adding that it’s a common practice throughout Colorado’s public schools.

But daily pat downs are rare, said Matthew

McClain with the Colorado School Counselor Association, and Franci CrepeauHobson, a University of Colorado Denver professor specializing in school violence prevention.

“Clearly they were concerned,” said CrepeauHobson. “I can’t imagine they’d do that if there wasn’t a history of the kid carrying a weapon for whatever reason.”

School safety plans are often imposed after students exhibit threatening or suicidal behavior, said Christine Harms, director of the Colorado School Safety Resource Center.