One student was killed and 8 others injured, several critically, Tuesday in a shooting at a public charter school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, a Denver suburb. Two individuals wearing hoodies walked into the school and entered a classroom, where one pulled a gun from a guitar case and began shooting.
One of the was tackled by another student. Sheriff’s deputies arrived almost immediately from a sheriff’s substation about a block away, while the shooting was still in progress, and took the suspects into custody after a struggle. No officer injuries were reported.
Three hospitals located within a few blocks of the campus received victims. Three were later released from an area hospital, but several had serious injuries. All of the victims were older students, age 15 and up.
Law enforcement identified one of the suspects as Devon Erickson, 18, but did not identify the other because the person is a juvenile. Both were students at the school. Authorities recovered a 9mm handgun. It was unclear whether other weapons were involved, although one officer at the scene made reference to a revolver.
A local TV station said Erickson was a registered Democrat, an Obama fan, and had criticized President Trump. He was into acting in local youth theater productions and playing music.
The sheriff told reporters at a news conference that the suspects were “not on law enforcement’s radar.” Erickson had no record other than a 2018 traffic ticket. However, he recently posted disturbing comments on his Facebook page.
Anger, revenge, bullying, and mental illness may have played a role. Satanic symbols were found on a suspect’s car, and Erickson had ranted against Christians online. The juvenile was said to be a transgender transitioning from female to male.
The school is part of a K-12 campus with about 1,850 students — 550 elementary, 700 middle school, and 600 high school students — with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) curriculum. Students were evacuated from the school and taken to a nearby recreation center to be reunited with parents.
Agents from the state police, FBI, and ATF are assisting local authorities with crime scene processing.
Photos: Suspect Devon Erickson; elementary students outside the school