Shooting suspect is dead after attack at Colorado high school, authorities say

COLORADO – A male student suspected of a shooting at a suburban high school in Colorado died of self-inflicted injuries on the night of Sept 10, the authorities said.

The shooting took place just before 12.30pm local time on the grounds of Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, about 48km south-west of Denver, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect’s death was confirmed on the night of Sept 10 by the sheriff’s office. Two other students were critically injured by gunfire and taken to an area hospital along with the suspect, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, Ms Jacki Kelley, told reporters.

One of the victims was in stable condition and transferred to another hospital, according to Ms Lindsay Radford, a spokesperson for St. Anthony Hospital. The other victim was still in critical condition, mS Radford said.

The shooter used a revolver in the attack, Ms Kelley said at a news conference, adding that the shooting had occurred both inside and outside the school.

“Law enforcement did not fire a weapon today,” she said.

Ms Kelley said that there were reports that a fourth person had also been transported to the hospital with injuries, but that could not be verified.

The motive for the shooting, what led up to the attack and whether the victims and the suspect knew one another were all under investigation. The police are looking at the shooter’s home, school locker and car as they search for a possible motive, Ms Kelley said.

“This is the scariest thing,” Ms Kelley said. “These parents were really frightened, and so were the kids. I know we always say not again, but here we are.”

Ms Hillary Van Der Zee said in an interview that her daughter, a junior at Evergreen, was off-campus for lunch with a friend when she called to say there was an active shooter at the school.

Moments later, Ms Van Der Zee and her husband heard a parade of sirens up the road from them on Evergreen Parkway, the main route to the school. Her daughter wanted to return to campus, which is about 6.5km from their home, to help, Ms Van Der Zee said.

“We said, ‘No, the best you can do is come home,’” Ms Van Der Zee said.

Her daughter said students on campus had reported hearing gunfire, and that many were checking in on one another throughout the day.

Evergreen High School is part of the Jefferson Public School District, which also includes Columbine High School, the site of a school shooting in 1999 that was one of the deadliest in the United States at the time. The school has about 900 students currently, according to the state’s Department of Education.

“We cannot pretend this is just another tragic incident,” Ms Tracy Dorland, the Jefferson Public School District’s superintendent, said in a statement on the night of Sept 10. “The pain of this incident reopens old wounds.”

Ms Reggie Marinelli, the Jefferson County sheriff, said at the news conference that it was a “tragic day.”

“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this senseless shooting,” Marinelli said.

Chief Mike Weege of Evergreen Fire Protection District choked up as he described Evergreen as a “strong, resilient community,” adding that many of the emergency medical workers who responded live in the area.

“When something happens this close, it’s difficult, but we had a job to do,” Mr Weege said. “Everybody came together and did their job.”

Many students were inside the school and witnessed the shooting, Ms Kelley said.

“This is the scariest thing,” Ms Kelley said. “These parents were really frightened, and so were the kids. I know we always say not again, but here we are.”

At 12.31pm local time, Ms Lisa Marie Schwartz received a text message from her daughter Sophie Claire Mulso, a senior at Evergreen, telling her that the school was on lockdown.

Sophie wrote in a message: “Someone just shot up the school mom.” And she added: “I’m so scared mom.”

Ms Schwartz anxiously texted her daughter, asking whether she could come and get her and trying to figure out where she was. In another text, Sophie updated her mother, saying “I started running”.

According to Ms Schwartz, Sophie, 17, who was heading out for lunch when the attack occurred, escaped through the school’s front doors and ran until she reached a road where a friend picked her up.

The ordeal “made me vomit,” Ms Schwartz said.

“I had no control,” she said. “There was nothing I could do.”

She added: “It’s debilitating to not have any control over your child and the situation.”

The school district did not immediately respond to inquiries about the shooting. Parents and students were being reunited at a local elementary school, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Agents from the FBI and the Denver division of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the shooting, as did numerous law enforcement officers from agencies in the area.

Governor Jared Polis of Colorado said on social media that he was “closely monitoring the situation” at the high school and that state troopers were assisting.

“Students should be able to attend school safely and without fear across our state and nation,” Mr Polis said. “We are all praying for the victims and the entire community”. NYTIMES