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The victim of a shooting on Tuesday outside Denver’s West High School was an 18-year-old student at the school in his senior year, Denver Public Schools confirmed Wednesday.
The Denver Police Department initially said Tuesday that the victim was not a DPS student. The police department described the shooting victim as “an adult male” in a post on X. The department said “his injuries do not appear life-threatening.”
“There was some confusion at the scene yesterday causing DPD to identify the victim as not being connected to the school,” Denver Public Schools spokesman Scott Pribble said by email. “They are aware of the connection now.”
Denver police responded to a shooting in the 800 block of Elati Street around 2:42 p.m., a police department spokesperson said. West High School is located in the 900 block of Elati Street.
After a shot was heard outside, West High went on a secure perimeter, which means no one is allowed in or out of the building, Pribble said. The secure perimeter lasted just over an hour and ended at 3:55 p.m., about 30 minutes after the usual end of the school day, Pribble said.
The Denver Police Department said Wednesday that the case is still under investigation and no arrests have been made. It did not release the name of the victim.
A February 2023 shooting outside another Denver high school, East High, proved fatal. Sixteen-year-old Luis Garcia was sitting in his car when he was shot in that incident. Garcia died two and a half weeks later. His family is suing Denver Public Schools.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
