Parents gather in a circle to pray at a recreation center where students were reunited with their parents after a shooting at a suburban Denver middle school Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Highlands Ranch. AP Photo/David Zalubowski HIGHLANDS RANCH — Two Colorado high school students used at least two handguns to attack the charter school they attended, killing one of their classmates and wounding eight others in an assault near Columbine High School, authorities said Wednesday. That Tuesday afternoon’s attack at STEM School Highlands Ranch happened just miles from Columbine and just weeks after the 20th anniversary of the shooting there was sure to raise questions about whether it was inspired by the 1999 massacre. But the answer was not immediately clear. Douglas County sheriff’s officials said 18-year-old Devon Erickson and a younger student who is a juvenile and was not identified walked into the STEM School Highlands Ranch through an entrance without metal detectors and opened fire in two classrooms. Sheriff Tony Spurlock told reporters that the suspects had a “number of weapons,” including two handguns they were not old enough to buy or own. Authorities on Tuesday identified the juvenile suspect as a boy, but Spurlock on Wednesday told reporters that the suspect is a girl. “We originally thought the juvenile was a male by appearance,” Spurlock said. He declined to comment when asked by reporters if the person is transgender. Television station KMGH reported late Tuesday that the juvenile suspect is a transgender male in the process of transitioning from female to male. The station cited anonymous sources close to the investigation. The student who was killed was 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo, authorities said. Student Nui Giasolli told NBC’s “Today” show that she was in her British literature class when Erickson came in late and pulled out a gun. Castillo lunged at the gunman, who shot the teen. Castillo’s actions gave the rest of the class time to get underneath their desks and then run across the room to escape to safety, Giasolli said. Rachel Short said Castillo was a funny and empathetic person who loved others and was a part-time employee at her manufacturing company, Bacara USA. “To find he went down as a hero, I’m not surprised. That’s exactly who Kendrick was,” Short said. Cecilia Bedard, 19, knew Castillo since elementary school and said he was always friendly, modest and excited to help people. He made a point of always joining his father at Knights of Columbus fundraisers and bingo nights. “He was amazing,” Bedard said. “He was honestly the sweetest kid I ever met. Never said a mean joke.” Both suspects were students at the school, and they were not previously known to authorities, Spurlock said. Douglas County, Colo., Sheriffs Department vehicles block the road to the STEM School Highlands Ranch after a shooting at the public charter school Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Highlands Ranch. AP Photo/David Zalubowski Josh Dutton, 18, said he was close friends with Erickson in middle school but had not seen him for four years as he attended a different high school. On Sunday, he spotted Erickson at a local light rail station and said he was shocked at how much his friend had changed. Erickson wore all black, a hat and sunglasses, was significantly thinner and did not seem interested in talking. “He said he’d just turned 18 and he owned rifles,” Dutton said. A message left at a phone number listed for Erickson’s home was not immediately returned. He was scheduled to make an initial court appearance later Wednesday. It was not immediately clear when the younger suspect, who has not been identified, would appear in court. The shooting took place exactly a week after a gunman killed two students and wounded four at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. It also came nearly three weeks after neighboring Littleton marked the anniversary of the Columbine attack that killed 13 people. The two schools are separated by about 7 miles in adjacent communities south of Denver. Douglas County District Attorney George Brauchler said the community remains resilient in the face of multiple shootings, including Columbine, the 2012 theater shooting in the Denver suburb of Aurora and the 2013 shooting at Arapahoe High School. The attacks are “aberrant acts” although they might seem otherwise to the rest of the world, he said. “Who we are is a kind, compassionate, caring people, and this does not define us. It won’t today and it won’t tomorrow,” he said. Three hospitals reported treating eight people in connection with the attack. Five had been released by Wednesday morning but three remained hospitalized in intensive care, Spurlock said. STEM is a public charter school with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math. It has more than 1,850 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. As gunfire echoed through the school, students hid or ran through the halls, some shouting. Frantic parents used their cellphones to find their children as news of the shooting spread. “No one really knew what was going on so I didn’t know they were bullets,” said seventh-grader Sophia Marks. “I just kind of saw like flashes and we heard bangs.” Within minutes, deputies at a nearby sheriff’s department substation entered the school and arrested the two suspects without exchanging gunfire. One of the suspects was detained by the school’s security guard, Spurlock said. The security guard was employed by Boss High Level Protection, a company started by a former SWAT team leader who responded to the Columbine shooting. The owner, Grant Whitus, told The Associated Press the security guard is a former Marine who ran to the area of the shootings and confronted one of the armed students in a hallway. The guard drew his weapon and apprehended the person, Whitus said. “He doesn’t even realize how many lives he saved by stopping a school shooting,” Whitus said. That Tuesday afternoon’s attack at STEM School Highlands Ranch happened just miles from Columbine High School was sure to raise questions about whether it was inspired by the 1999 massacre, but the answer was not immediately clear. Douglas County sheriff’s officials said Devon Erickson, 18, and a younger student who is a juvenile and was not identified walked into the STEM School Highlands Ranch through an entrance without metal detectors and opened fire on students in two classrooms. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock told reporters that the suspects had a “number of weapons.” They included two handguns that Spurlock said the suspects were not old enough to buy or own. Authorities on Tuesday identified the juvenile suspect as a boy but Spurlock on Wednesday told reporters that the juvenile suspect is a girl. “We originally thought the juvenile was a male by appearance,” Spurlock said. He declined comment when asked by reporters if the juvenile suspect is transgender. KMGH-TV reported late Tuesday that the juvenile suspect is a transgender male in the process of transitioning from female to male. The television station cited anonymous sources close to the investigation. As gunfire echoed through the school, students hid or ran through the halls, some shouting. “No one really knew what was going on so I didn’t know they were bullets,” said seventh-grader Sophia Marks. “I just kind of saw like flashes and we heard bangs.” Student Nui Giasolli told NBC’s “Today” show she was in her British Literature class when Erickson came in late. “He walked to the other side of the classroom where we also had another door and he opened the door. He walked back as if he was going to go back to his seat, then he walked back to the door and he closed it. The next thing I know he’s pulling a gun and he’s telling nobody to move,” she said. Giasolli said another student lunged at the shooter, giving other students time to dive under desks and flee to safety. At least one student encountered the suspects during the shooting, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said. He did not elaborate but said “we’re going to hear about very heroic things that have taken place at the school,” Spurlock said. He declined to identify the student who was shot and killed at the school. Within minutes, deputies at a nearby sheriff’s department substation entered the school and arrested the two suspects without exchanging gunfire. One of the suspects was detained by the school’s security guard, Spurlock said. Douglas County, Colo., Sheriffs Department vehicles block the road to the STEM School Highlands Ranch after a shooting at the public charter school Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Highlands Ranch. AP Photo/David Zalubowski Both suspects were students at the school and they were not previously known to authorities, Spurlock said. Josh Dutton, 18, told The Associated Press that he was close friends with Erickson in middle school but hadn’t seen him for four years as he went to a different high school. On Sunday, he spotted Erickson at a local light rail station and said he was shocked at how much his friend had changed. Erickson wore all black, a hat and sunglasses, was significantly skinnier and didn’t seem interested in talking. “He said he’d just turned 18 and he owned rifles,” Dutton said. A message left at a phone number listed for Erickson’s home was not immediately returned. He was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon. It was not immediately clear when the younger suspect, who has not been identified, would appear in court. The shooting took place exactly a week after a gunman killed two students and wounded four at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. It also comes nearly three weeks after neighboring Littleton marked the grim 20th anniversary of the Columbine school massacre that killed 13 people. The two schools are separated by about 7 miles (11 kilometers) in adjacent communities south of Denver. “Tragically, this community and those surrounding it know all too well these hateful and horrible acts of violence,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting and was in touch with state and local officials, Deere said. “The heart of all Colorado is with the victims and their families,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. STEM is a public charter school with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math. It has more than 1,850 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. As the gunfire rang out, students ran through the halls shouting “School shooter!” Some wondered at first if it was a joke or a drill. Chris Elledge, 15, said his teacher told the class to hide behind weight equipment in the room, where they stayed until police arrived. “They busted in the room, and they were asking if there was any suspects in the room, if we were OK, and they escorted us out to go out to the front of the building,” Elledge said. Frantic parents used their cellphones to find their children as news of the shooting spread. Sophia Marks’ mother, Sara Marks, said she has two other children who also go to the school. “When you have no idea what’s going on and the children are texting you that they’re hiding under a desk and bullets are hitting their window, or things are hitting their window, it’s a horrible feeling,” she said. Three hospitals reported treating eight people in connection with the attack. Five had been released by Wednesday morning but three remained hospitalized in intensive care, Spurlock said. Fernando Montoya told television station KMGH that his 17-year-old son was shot three times but was expected to make a full recovery. “Thank God he is fine,” Montoya said. “Even though he got shot, he’s OK. He’s going to walk out on his feet, so I’m glad. We’re so lucky.”<doc-sep>Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.<doc-sep>
Another mass shooting tragedy has hit the United States. On Tuesday, May 7, two people opened fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado, killing one student and injuring eight. Since the shooting, the public has been expressing their sympathy and supporting the community during this tragedy. Well, Donald Trump's response to the Highlands Ranch school shooting is no different. The incident shook the entire Highlands Ranch, Colorado community, especially as it came close on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the infamous Columbine High School shooting on April 20. On May 8, a day after the shooting, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his sympathies for those who were injured, and called the shooting "unspeakable violence." He wrote, Our Nation grieves at the unspeakable violence that took a precious young life and badly injured others in Colorado. God be with the families and thank you to the First Responders for bravely intervening. We are in close contact with Law Enforcement. Trump is one of many political figures who have taken to social media to address this tragedy. However, many Democrats have not only expressed sympathy, but called for Congress to address gun control sooner rather than later. The shooting in Highlands Ranch, Colorado marks at least the 43rd incident of gun related violence within the United States this year, according to numbers from gun safety advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. It also represents the second school shooting that the country has experienced over the past week. On April 30, two students were killed and four were injured at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) in Charlotte, North Carolina by an armed gunman who opened fire on campus. The topic of gun control has become one of the most pressing issues within the United States over the years, with organizations and gun reform activists pushing for Congress to make legislative changes. On May 7, 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren took to Twitter to address the need for gun reform following the Highlands Ranch school shooting. She wrote, Heartsick for the victims, their loved ones, and the Highlands Ranch community. How many more of our children’s schools must be torn apart by gun violence until Congress does something? We need gun reform. Now. Warren isn't the only presidential candidate to speak out openly on gun reform. During a CNN town hall on April 11, California Sen. Kamala Harris vowed to take executive action on gun control if she is elected to the White House. She said that she would give Congress 100 days to "get their act together" in order to pass gun safety laws, and if they resisted, she would execute executive action. On May 6, presidential candidate Cory Booker unveiled his 14-part plan as a way to take on gun control. In this plan, Booker would require licenses for gun owners, increasing universal background checks for online and private buyers, as well as banning assault weapons and bump stocks entirely. In the meantime, there's still so much more to learn about the topic of gun control. As ever, the first step is knowledge.