Colorado students hospitalized after classmate turns shooter

The two students remained in critical condition on Thursday after being shot at Evergreen High School the day before, said Jefferson County spokeswoman Jackie Kelley. One of the other students used a revolver a wide-ranging assault on and off school grounds. The suspected shooter died of self-inflicted injuries, authorities said Wednesday. Witnesses described the stuudent as firing and reloading the handgun continuously while searching the school for targets, Kelley said.

The suspect fired so many rounds so that investigators had to process crime scenes throughout the campus. One student was shot inside a three-story school building, while the other was shot outside on a street behind the school. Lockdown protocol enacted by teachers and administrators avoided many more injuries and saved lives, Kelley said. Some students ran to nearby neighborhoods where they sheltered in place with residents, she added.

Evergreen’s full-time school resource officer was on medical leave during the shooting, and the part-time replacement was not on campus, Kelley explained. She insisted that the part-time officer had not broken protocol and was responding to a car accident nearby, which is part of their duty. Kelley underscored the amount of work ahead of investigators, specifically interviewing the dozens of students who witnessed the attack and knew the attacker. The student interviews are expected to shed a lot of light on the investigation regarding the shooter's life and relationships, she said.

What do we know about the shooter? Officials identified the shooter as Desmond Holly, a 16-year-old student at Evergreen. His motive is unclear, but officials were told the boy had been radicalized by an extremist network, Kelley said. Parents reported no odd or concerning behavior before the shooting.

It’s unclear who owned the gun, but the suspect’s parents are cooperating in every way they can, Kelley said. Investigators are now searching Holly’s house, phone, and locker. Also, the school’s surveillance cameras captured the entire attack, she added. It’s unclear who owned the gun used in the attack, how the student obtained the weapon, and if his victims were random or targeted. 

Dig deeper: Read my previous initial report on the shooting.