One of the students accused of opening fire at a Denver area STEM school, killing one student and wounding eight other people, bullied younger kids and would make jokes about shooting up the school, students said. The suspected shooter, Devon Erickson, "would whisper, like get really close and kinda put his arm around you, and whisper in your ear, ‘don’t come to school tomorrow,'" said Kevin Cole, a former student of STEM School Highlands Ranch, during an interview on "Today." Erickson, 18, and a juvenile, who police identify as a girl but who prefers male pronouns, are accused of entering the K-12 school with handguns Tuesday. NBC News is not identifying the juvenile suspect. Kendrick Castillo, 18, was fatally shot, and eight others were hospitalized. Several of the shooting victims have been released, and one was upgraded from serious to fair condition on Friday. Devon Michael Erickson appears at the Douglas County Courthouse for his advisement hearing on May 8, 2019 in Castle Rock, Colorado. Joe Amon / Pool via Getty Images One student told "Today" that the scene — which unfolded three days before Highlands Ranch seniors' last day of school — was chaotic. "We heard yelling, we heard police tackling, screaming, singing — shockingly singing. And it was heart-wrenching," the student said. "I can still hear them faintly. I can still hear them screaming and singing." Documents obtained by NBC affiliate KUSA show that a parent warned school officials of "a repeat of Columbine" months before shots were fired Tuesday afternoon. In December 2018, a school district director sent a letter to Highlands Ranch executive director Penny Eucker saying a district official had received an anonymous call from a Highlands Ranch parent expressing concerns about the school and accusing administrators of a wide range of misconduct. The parent said the school suffered from "an extremely high drug culture," "student violence due to a high pressure environment," the letter said. The parent also reported bullying, "safety issues," instances of sexual assault, and a recent bomb threat. "The individual called it 'the perfect storm' - 'group think' and students ... are susceptible to 'copy-catting,'" the letter said. "The individual expressed concerns about a repeat of Columbine or Arapahoe." Twelve students and a teacher were killed in the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999, before the two gunmen killed themselves, and one student died after the shooting at Arapahoe High School on Dec. 13, 2013. That shooter also turned the gun on himself. The parent said school officials had ignored her concerns. She also alleged that students had learned to build a bomb in school, students had smeared feces on the walls and were forced to clean it up with no gloves, and accused a teacher of hitting a student. The parent also asked for a financial audit at the school alleging that "money is being sent to China and Mexico," the letter said. "The concerns expressed by this individual are very serious and need to be looked into to the extent possible" the letter to Eucker from the district said, adding a request that they be "apprised of your investigation and conclusions." Officials guide students off a bus and into a recreation center where they were reunited with their parents after a shooting at a suburban Denver middle school, on May 7, 2019, in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. David Zalubowski / AP Highlands Ranch parents were notified in February of some accusations made during the call, a letter from Eucker and a member of the school board showed. "These outrageous accusations of criminal behavior of our outstanding and dedicated volunteer board threatens their very professions. An investigation by STEM Board and staff leadership revealed no evidence of these allegations,” the letter said. The school filed a lawsuit, denying all of the allegations and accusing the parent caller of slander and invasion of privacy. The lawsuit sought to issue a subpoena for phone records that would reveal the identity of the caller. STEM School Highlands Ranch officials, district officials and Eucker did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the letters and lawsuit in the wake of Tuesday's shooting.<doc-sep>Sheriff Spurlock said neither suspect had been on law enforcement’s radar before the shooting and that the motive was unknown. The sheriff said the injured students were age 15 or older. Students who were not injured were taken to Northridge Recreation Center in Highlands Ranch, where hundreds of anxious parents gathered to look for their children on Tuesday afternoon. “I heard a gunshot,” said Makai Dixon, 8, a second grader who had been training for this moment, with active shooter drills and lockdowns, since he was in kindergarten. “I’d never heard it before.” Makai’s parents said they joined thousands of others in rushing to the school as news blazed through this suburban community. “We’re more messed up than they are,” Makai’s mother, Rocio, said as they walked to their car. The shooting at the Highlands Ranch charter school is the latest at an educational institution, rattling communities nationwide because young people have been put in mortal danger in places long considered safe havens. One week earlier, a man with a pistol shot six people on the last day of spring classes at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, killing two.<doc-sep>“If you had suggested to anybody behind me or in this room that within 20 years in 20 miles we would have dealt with Columbine, the Aurora theater, Arapahoe High School, the shooting of Zack Parrish and four other deputies, we’d have thought you mad, and yet here we are again,” District Attorney George Brauchler said at a news conference Wednesday, referencing a 2013 high school murder-suicide and a Dec. 31, 2017, attack on law enforcement officers who were responding to a domestic disturbance at the Copper Canyon Apartment Homes.<doc-sep>HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — Emotions are running high as prosecutors prepare to bring charges against two teens accused of attacking their suburban Denver charter school earlier this week, killing one classmate and injuring eight others. The pair are due in court Wednesday amid many questions about the shooting, how it was planned, and whether it could have been prevented. Authorities say the student who died, Kendrick Castillo, saved lives as he and two other students rushed at least one of the shooters. A school security guard is credited by his boss with disarming and confronting the other shooter. But aside from those details, many questions remain about the how and why of this attack, and investigators have persuaded a judge to temporarily keep most court records and reports secret. Who are the suspects? We know very little about the two suspects, in part because some media outlets have deliberately avoided reporting on them as part of the #NoNotoriety campaign. That campaign, organized by survivors of other mass shootings, asks the media to downplay coverage of accused shooters to avoid copycat incidents and to avoid “rewarding” shooters with attention. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is withholding booking photos to avoid compromising the investigation. Protest:Students walk out of Colorado school shooting vigil, saying their trauma was being politicized Parenting:How to talk to your kids about school shootings, like the one at Colorado's STEM school Authorities have identified the two suspects as Devon Erickson, 18, and a juvenile identified both as Maya McKinney and Alec McKinney. Appearing in court earlier this week, McKinney’s mother said he identifies as male and is known as Alec. Court records identify McKinney as Maya. We don't yet know the nature of the relationship between the two accused shooters. Erickson's social media accounts show he was interested in music and theater. In court Wednesday, he appeared shackled and in a red jail jumpsuit, with his purple-and-black dyed hair partially obscuring his face. Neither he nor McKinney spoke, aside from brief responses to the judge. What was their motivation? Unclear. While some mass shooters publicize their actions on social media or via a "manifesto," the suspects in this case do not appear to have given any indication. Investigators have declined to discuss the case, and the judge has ordered all court filings temporarily sealed during the initial investigation. In Colorado, prosecutors and defense attorneys are generally barred by professional ethics rules from discussing cases outside the courtroom. We should learn more about the case during Wednesday's court hearing, where prosecutors are expected to file formal charges. Parents of STEM students say they're shocked at what happened, in large part because the school fosters and environment of personal accountability and acceptance. Candace Craig, who has three kids at the school, said she thinks understanding their motivation could help prevent future incidents. “I want to call them names and reduce them to their actions, but when it’s this close to home, there’s a piece me that can’t reduce them to what they did,” she said. “We need to hear from them, but I don’t know how that looks in a healthy way.” Could this have been prevented? The STEM School did not have a metal detector at its doors, and it was patrolled by a contracted security guard. The security guard disarmed and detained one of the shooters, the guard's boss said. But because the guard was in a different part of the school when the shooting began, he had to rush to the area. Three students are credited with disarming the other shooter by wrestling the gun away. The sole death in the incident occurred when one of those students, Kendrick Castillo, was shot as he rushed the shooter. Profile:Kendrick Castillo, hero killed in Colo. school shooting, told his dad he would act if confronted with a gunman What we know:Colorado school shooting updates: Victim identified, heroes emerge Thursday, it emerged that an anonymous woman claiming to be a STEM parent made serious accusations against school administrators late last year. In a call to the school district where the STEM School operates, the woman described rampant bullying, drug use and her fears of a “a repeat of Columbine” at the semi-autonomous charter school. The anonymous complaints alarmed authorities enough that they requested an investigation by police and school officials. It’s not yet clear whether there’s any connection between the woman’s complaints and the Tuesday attack. As a charter school, the STEM School is largely exempt from the rules and policies governing neighboring public schools, although it is still accountable to the district via a legal agreement. STEM School officials in January adamantly rejected the woman’s concerns and sued her for defamation, according to court records and a letter sent by district officials to the school and obtained by USA TODAY. Because the woman’s call was made anonymously, STEM School officials asked a judge to subpoena phone records to find her. Analysis:11 days. 3 mass shootings. 3 heroes. What makes some risk their lives for others? Opinion:My daughter died at Parkland. While we argue about guns, let's fix school security. What about the actions of the private security guard? Several media outlets have reported that investigators are looking into allegations that the school's private security guard shot at either a student or a responding police officer during the incident. Authorities have declined to address that aspect of the case while the investigation is ongoing. Security company founder Grant Whitus rejected the suggestion, saying his guard, a former sheriff's deputy and U.S. Marine, is well trained. He said the guard was interviewed by detectives after the incident. Whitus, a former sheriff's deputy, said the actions of the investigators indicate his guard acted appropriately. “In my 27 years in law enforcement, if I believed somebody had shot someone in a school I would have never released them in an hour," Whitus said. "That says something to me about this situation.” What happens next? The two suspects are due in court Wednesday. Prosecutors are expected to announce what charges the two will face. Part of that decision will include whether to prosecute McKinney as an adult or juvenile.<doc-sep>
A security guard credited with capturing one of the suspects in this week’s Colorado school shooting fired his weapon inside the school, reports say. The rampage that left one student dead and eight people injured underscores new questions about the use of private guards in schools versus police. The STEM School Highlands Ranch outside Denver contracted with a security guard, a former Marine who has not been identified. He had stayed out of the public eye since Tuesday, when two suspects opened fire at the charter school. On Thursday, the Associated Press confirmed reports he had fired his weapon, citing a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case. The official did not address whether anyone was hit when the gun fired. "The actions of the people inside the building are still part of the open investigation," a spokesperson for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Friday. A student hero:Kendrick Castillo, killed in Colorado shooting, told his dad he would act if he saw gunman 11 days, 3 mass shootings, 3 heroes:What makes some risk their lives for others? Contracted security guards, who may be armed or unarmed, differ from school resource officers, who are sworn police officers with tactical training who spend time developing relationships with schools. Even experts in the field of school security are split on what kind of personnel leads to a "safer" school. School resource officers are "carefully selected and specifically trained," said Mo Canady, the executive director of the trade association for those officers. The group trains thousands of police officers in how to develop relationships with youth. "We want the gun to be in the right hands," Canady added. Most schools don't have a school resource officer In reality, most public schools don't have a school resource officer. Only about 40% employ one, said Jeff Allison, a special advisor for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. Other options for schools include hiring a retired law enforcement officer, creating an in-house school police department, contracting with off-duty police and paying them overtime to work during school hours, or asking school parents who are sworn officers to lend a hand. Ken Trump, a longtime school security expert, believes the best option is to have a trained, professional law enforcement officer in a school. "Police officers are trained to factor in that there's a much greater civilian population around them in a public setting where armed conflict might occur," said Trump, who is not related to the president. Both police and armed guards would have the authority to fire their guns in school during a life-threatening situation. But whether they should, Trump said, depends on the situation. "Armed officers, whether they are security or police, are required to follow use-of-force (guidance), where the force used by the officer is in proportion to the force being used by the assailant," Trump said. "Obviously, in the context of an active shooter in a school, deadly force may be necessary when the assailants are causing death or serious bodily injury." But Trump also acknowledged that even the best training cannot predict how people will respond in a life-threatening situation. For example, last year, the armed school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, failed to charge into the school and apprehend the shooter that killed 17 students. "You don’t know what their emotional response is going to be under stress," Trump said. 'Are you going to shoot that person?' At least three students have been hailed as heroes for disarming one of the suspects during Tuesday’s shooting. One of them, Kendrick Castillo, was shot and killed during the struggle. A second, Joshua Jones, is recovering at home after being shot twice. Colorado school shooting:A 12-year-old grabbed a bat and 'was gonna go down fighting' The armed security guard at the school was employed by Boss High Level Protection, which was started by a SWAT team leader who responded to the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. The company’s owner, Grant Whitus, told The Associated Press the guard ran to the area of the shootings and confronted one of the armed students in a hallway. “He doesn’t even realize how many lives he saved by stopping a school shooting,” Whitus said Wednesday. An attorney for the guard, Robert Burk, said his client acted in the best interests of protecting the children at the school and helped resolve the situation without further bloodshed.