School shooting ‘inspired’ by Columbine

Authorities in the US are investigating whether two students who opened fire at their high school in Denver, Colorado this week were inspired by the Columbine massacre.

Tuesday’s incident, which killed 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo and injured eight others, happened two-and-a-half weeks after the 20th anniversary of the 1999 mass shooting and just 11 kilometres away from Columbine High School.

But the most significant link between the tragedy at STEM School Highlands Ranch and Columbine is both were carried out by two shooters, an extremely rare occurrence.
 

Of the 37 worst mass shootings in US history, just four have involved more than one shooter.

Data compiled by the FBI shows of 160 “active shooter” incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013, all but two involved a single shooter.

In yet another link between this week’s incident and Columbine, in which 12 students died, the armed security guard who apprehended one of the suspects was employed by a security company started by a SWAT team leader who responded to the 1999 Columbine shooting.

The company’s owner, Grant Whitus, told The Associated Press the security guard was a former marine who was on duty inside the STEM School Highlands Ranch when the emergency call went out on Tuesday.

He declined to identify the guard but said he ran to the area of the shootings and confronted one of the armed students in a hallway. He said the guard drew his weapon and apprehended the person.

SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY

Police have identified Devon Erickson, 18, as one of the suspects in this week’s incident.

The second suspect, who has not been named because they are a juvenile, is a transgender male in the process of transitioning from female to male, local TV station KMGH-TV reported.

The television station cited anonymous sources close to the investigation.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock on Wednesday told reporters the juvenile suspect was a girl. He said “we originally thought the juvenile was a male by appearance”.

Sheriff Spurlock declined to comment when asked by reporters if the juvenile suspect is transgender.
 

Police responded to reports of a shooting at the high school, a charter school south of Denver, just before 2pm local time.

The shooters walked into the school and started firing inside two classrooms.

Within minutes, deputies arrived, and one adult and one juvenile were taken into custody.

It is known they used a “number of weapons”, including two handguns they were not old enough to buy or own.

One of the suspects is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday (Thursday Australia time).

A court hearing had not yet been set for the juvenile suspect, as of early Wednesday morning local time.

COMMUNITY GRIEVES ‘HERO’ TEEN

The grieving father of Kendrick Castillo, who selflessly ran at one of the gunmen, allowing his fellow students to escape, paid tribute to his son as a hero on Wednesday.

“He was the best kid in the world,” John Castillo told television station KMGH.

Mr Castillo said his son’s classmates and the coroner told him Kendrick heroically charged at one of the suspects once they entered his classroom.
 

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Mr Castillo said through tears.

“He cared enough about people that he would do something like that, even though it’s against my better judgment.

“I wish he had gone and hid,” Mr Castillo continued, “but that’s not his character. His character is about protecting people, helping people.”

Classmate Nui Giasolli told America’s Today show she was in her British literature class when one of the suspects entered and pulled out a gun.

Ms Giasolli confirmed Kendrick, who was days away from graduating, lunged at the gunman who shot the teen.

Ms Giasolli said Kendrick’s actions gave the rest of the class time to get underneath their desks and then run across the room to escape to safety.
 

Kendrick Castillo, 18, lunged after one of the gunmen from yesterday’s #StemShooting, giving his life to save countless of his classmates.

This brave member of the @Frc4418 robotics club sadly was killed just days before his graduation.

Our heroes deserve life. #RestInPower pic.twitter.com/RNZe2KLCJ5

— March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) May 8, 2019

Rachel Short of Bacara USA, a manufacturing company where Kendrick worked part-time for the last 18 months, said he started working at her company last year as an intern.

She said he was such a terrific employee they offered him a part-time job.

Ms Short said Kendrick was funny and empathetic and loved helping people.

“To find he went down as a hero, I’m not surprised, that’s exactly who Kendrick was,” she said.

Authorities say eight other students were shot before the shooters were taken into custody.

As of Wednesday, three victims were still in intensive care.

A COMMUNITY SCARRED BY SHOOTINGS

This week’s incident is sadly just the latest horrific gun-violence tragedy to strike Denver.

Douglas County District lawyer George Brauchler noted on Wednesday the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting was the fifth within a 32-kilometre radius in the past two decades, starting with the 1999 Columbine massacre.

Mr Brauchler cited Columbine, as well as the 2012 theatre shooting in the Denver suburb of Aurora, a 2013 shooting at Arapahoe High School and last year’s fatal shooting of a Douglas County sheriff’s deputy.
 

He did not mention that last month schools across the Denver region were forced to close days before the 20th anniversary of Columbine as police launched a manhunt to track down a woman “obsessed” with the tragedy who had flown to Colorado and bought a gun.

The 18-year-old, a Florida high school student later identified as Sol Pais, was eventually found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in mountains west of Denver.

Mr Brauchler said the history of shootings may shape how people across the nation viewed the Denver metropolitan area, but they were abhorrent acts that didn’t define his home.

He said the community was comprised of kind, compassionate people who were going to mourn, take care of those who were down and pick themselves back up.

In a statement on Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the Trump administration would do everything it could to find ways to safeguard schools.

“I’m a parent myself,” she said. “The President is a parent and grandparent.”

The tragedy in Denver is believed to be the 115th mass shooting in the US in 2019.