Horror and heroism at Colorado school
Victim, 18, gave classmates time to escape gunfire
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. – New details of how heroic students and a former U.S. Marine helped halt a suburban Denver school shooting emerged Wednesday as one of the accused shooters appeared before a judge, his shaggy, purple-streaked hair obscuring his face.
Authorities arrested Devon Erickson, 18, and a second suspect – a juvenile female – at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch on Tuesday afternoon.
Erickson, a student at the school, faces a murder charge and dozens of attempted-murder charges after the shooting that killed classmate Kendrick Ray Castillo, who is being hailed as a hero for confronting the shooters.
Authorities said Erickson and the girl attacked two classrooms with handguns, killing Castillo, 18, and wounding eight. One of the shooters was disarmed and subdued by a former Marine working as a private security guard patrolling the school, his boss said.
Appearing in court almost exactly 24 hours after the shooting, Erickson spoke only to acknowledge the judge’s
questions, shaking his head or nodding at other times.
Prosecutors expect to formally charge him in the next several days, but they persuaded the judge to withhold much of the evidence in the case from public view while the investigation continues. Erickson was being held without bond and is due back in court Friday.
Sitting at a table with two private defense attorneys, Erickson wore a red jail jumpsuit with his hands shackled and reacted little to the proceedings or to the judge’s orders that he stay away from the school and any victims, and not possess firearms.
Less information has been made public about the second suspected shooter because she is a juvenile.
As investigators piece together the shooters’ movements and motivations, accounts came to light of the heroism displayed by students and the security guard who helped halt the carnage.
Gov. Jared Polis called Castillo a “hero” for charging at one of the shooters and lauded student Brendan Bialy for taking similar action. Their bravery allowed other students to run for cover and hide in closets and under desks.
“Colorado will always remember the heroism of Kendrick Castillo,” Polis said in a statement.
Castillo was set to graduate this weekend. Bialy joined the U.S. Marines and is scheduled to ship out for basic training this summer.
“Brendan’s courage and commitment to swiftly ending this tragic incident at the risk of his own safety is admirable and inspiring,” Capt. Michael Maggitti said in a statement.
One of the shooters was apprehended by an armed security guard contracted by the school, the security company’s owner said. Grant Whitus said the guard, a former sheriff’s deputy and Marine who saw combat, ran to the sound of gunshots and took custody of the suspect at gunpoint.
“God only knows how many lives he saved,” Whitus said.
Still, Whitus said the guard, whose name has not been released, was upset that several of the students he protected over the past school year got hurt.
“We’re just trying to console him, because you can’t stop something like this from happening,” Whitus said.
Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies from a nearby substation were on the scene within two minutes. “They immediately engaged the suspects and started rescuing the children,” he said at a news conference. Three of the eight wounded remained hospitalized Wednesday.
The suspects entered through a middle-school door on the K-12 school of about 1,800 students, which specialized in math and science, Spurlock said. They were armed with weapons they were not old enough to purchase or own, he said. The public charter school has no metal detectors, Spurlock said.
Nui Giasolli told NBC’s “Today” show she was in a literature class when fellow student Erickson came in late, walking around the room and opening and closing doors. “The next thing I know he’s pulling a gun and he is telling nobody to move,” she said. Castillo was among several students who tackled the shooter, she said. The struggle gave “all of us enough time to get underneath our desks, to get ourselves safe and to run across the room to escape.”
“The next thing I know he’s pulling a gun and he is telling nobody to move.”
Student Nui Giasolli