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The 16-year-old student who shot two students at Evergreen High School on Wednesday was radicalized by an extremist network, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday morning.
The shooter, who was identified by the sheriff’s office as Desmond Holly, rode the bus to school on Wednesday and opened fire around 12:30 p.m., reloading his revolver many times.
Jacki Kelley, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said, “He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire and reload. This went on and on.”
She said some students fled to the nearby rec center and library and others into neighborhoods. One of the victims was shot on a street behind the school.
Many students and staff hid in locked classrooms.
“Lots of kids and teachers locked down in those rooms, did what they were supposed to do, and we know that it saved lives,” she said. “They’re heroes.”
Kelley said investigators don’t know what the shooter’s motive was and didn’t have additional information about the network that radicalized the teen. Investigators have search warrants for his home, locker, and phone and have been in contact with the shooter’s family, who are cooperating with law enforcement, she said.
Kelley said the full-time school resource officer normally assigned to Evergreen High is currently on medical leave and other resource officers have been rotating to the school on a part-time basis. One of those officers was on duty at the high school until about 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, but then was called to deal with a nearby accident, she said. Kelley called it “horrible timing,” but said that officer did nothing wrong and is free to leave the school to attend to other duties.
The families of the two victims are expected to release photos of their children on Thursday along with statements about the shooting, Kelley said. The sheriff’s office released a photo of the shooter from his driver’s license on X Wednesday morning.
Evergreen shooting victims in critical condition
One of the two students shot at Evergreen High School on Wednesday remains in critical condition at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood and the other is in critical condition at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, according to spokespersons from each hospital.
The shooter, a male student, died Wednesday evening of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting, which took place around noon Wednesday, terrified the mountain community of Evergreen, located 29 miles southwest of Denver, and the state at large. Colorado has experienced several high-profile mass shootings in recent years, including at a Boulder grocery store, a Colorado Springs night club, and a Highlands Ranch charter school.
The shooter’s identity and motive are still unclear, as is the identity of the two shooting victims.
It’s also unclear why Evergreen High School’s school resource officer was not on campus during the shooting. Jeffco Public Schools officials said Wednesday the district has an officer assigned to the high school, but the sheriff’s office said the officer was not at the school at the time of the shooting.
On Thursday, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office set up a resource and information center at Bergen Meadows Elementary School and asked that witnesses who have not yet spoken to investigators come to the center to do so. The center, which is at a Jeffco school that closed permanently in 2024, will also have mental health professionals, victims advocates, victims compensation representatives, and school personnel on hand.
Evergreen High School students and staff can get information about retrieving personal items and vehicles from the school at the center. The center is at 1928 S Hiwan Dr. in Evergreen and will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.
Evergreen High School, which has about 900 students, will be closed Thursday and Friday. In addition, nine other Jeffco schools in or near the town of Evergreen and the community of Conifer are closed on Thursday. They include Evergreen Middle, Conifer High, West Jefferson Middle, and Bergen, Wilmot, Parmalee, Elk Creek, Marshdale and West Jefferson Elementaries.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat, covering early childhood issues and early literacy. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.
