The state of policing 1 year after George Floyd's death A mural of George Floyd is shown in the intersection of 38th St & Chicago Ave on March 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community members continue preparations during the third day in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with multiple counts of murder in the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Keilar rolls the tape on the Covid-19 'lab leak' theory Faulty redactions show more info seized in Giuliani investigation than previously disclosed WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 01: President Donald Trump's lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists outside the White House West Wing July 01, 2020 in Washington, DC. Giuliani did an on-camera interview with One America News Network's Chanel Rion before talking to other journalists about Vice President Joe Biden and the news that Russian intelligence may have paid Taliban operatives to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Vigils & tributes to George Floyd one year since his murder ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Former President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 28, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Begun in 1974, CPAC brings together conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders to discuss issues important to them. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Here's what reported grand jury in Trump case may look like NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 09: People walk past the Trump Tower as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins in Washington on February 09, 2021 in New York City. After listening to nearly four hours of legal arguments, the Senate has voted on Tuesday to move ahead with the impeachment trial of former President Trump. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the conflict in the Middle East from Cross- Hall of the White House on May 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Israel and Hamas announced that they would agree to a cease-fire, which will take into effect on Friday, following days of fighting that claimed more than 200 lives. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) SAN JOSE, CA - MAY 26: A view of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light-rail yard where a mass shooting occurred on May 26, 2021 in San Jose, California. A VTA employee opened fire at the yard, with preliminary reports indicating nine people dead including the gunman. (Photo by Philip Pacheco/Getty Images) Interest in vaccinations increased after mask guidance, data says A healthcare worker prepares to administer a Pfizer/BioNTEch coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine at The Michener Institute, in Toronto, Ontario on December 14, 2020. - Ontario, Canada's most populous province and one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, had 1,940 new cases and 23 deaths on Monday. The province is expected to give its next doses to nursing home workers as a priority, according to media reports. (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) 'Never seen levels like this': Union president on airline passenger misconduct Memorial Day weekend will bring rain and cool air for much of the East (CNN) — The two suspects accused of carrying out a mass shooting at a Denver-area charter school made their first appearances in court Wednesday. Neither of the suspects – an 18-year-old student at the school named Devon Erickson, and a 16-year-old student named Alec McKinney – were formally charged. Eighteen-year-old Kendrick Ray Castillo was killed and eight others were wounded in the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch. First-degree murder and attempted murder charges will certainly be filed, said 18th Judicial District District Attorney George Brauchler. He wants time to consider other charges, he said. Erickson took the two handguns used in the shooting from his parents, according to a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation. Both guns were purchased legally, the source said. Both suspects are scheduled to appear separately in court again on Friday afternoon. Erickson spent most of his hearing Wednesday with his head bowed, his bushy head of hair – colored with streaks of purple – obscuring his face. He spoke only when spoken to directly by the judge, and at one point signed a court document while holding his handcuffed wrists in front of him. Joe Amon/The Denver Post/Pool/AP Devon Erickson rarely looked up during a court appearance Wednesday. Prosecutors have not decided whether they will seek to try the 16-year-old suspect as an adult, Brauchler told reporters. Authorities initially referred to the 16-year-old suspect as female. But the suspect’s lawyer said in court that McKinney goes by the first name Alec, and uses the pronoun “he,” Colorado Judicial Department spokesman Rob McCallum said. Brendan Bialy, a student who helped disarm one of the suspects, said he knows both alleged shooters. Erickson was a student in his class, where another student was killed and several were wounded, he said. Hero student immediately jumped the killer courtesy John and Maria Castillo Kendrick Castillo was killed trying to rush one of the shooters, a witness said. Brendan Bialy said he and Kendrick Castillo were sitting near a classroom door when someone from their class arrived late and took out a gun. The two were sitting by a classroom door when someone from their class arrived late and took out a gun, he said. Castillo immediately rushed him. “It was immediate, nonhesitation, immediate jump into action,” Bialy said. Bialy and a third student then joined in and wrestled with the shooter, who may have fired once or twice more during the struggle, Bialy said. Once he got the gun away and the other student had the shooter pinned down, Bialy went over to Castillo, who was unresponsive. Castillo died at the school. The slain student was a kind, hilarious jokester who was always ready to help his classmates, student Tuscany “Nui” Giasolli said. “Kendrick was such a nice kid. If you needed something, he would be there for you,” Nui told CNN on Wednesday. That proved true even in the young man’s final moments. Castillo and Nui were analyzing comedy in English class and watching “The Princess Bride” Tuesday afternoon. Nui said the gunman talked to the teacher, then walked around the room. “Next thing I know, he’s pulling out a gun,” Nui said. She said the gunman told everyone not to move. “And that’s when the shooting started.” Nui’s mother, Nyki Giasolli, said if not for the heroism of her daughter’s classmates, “I wouldn’t have my baby today.” “All these kids are alive because of (Castillo’s) sacrifice and the bravery of all the boys to neutralize the threat,” Giasolli said. But across town, Castillo’s parents are mourning. A father’s mixed emotions after losing his only child At his home in Denver, John Castillo struggles to stop sobbing. He’s torn between pride and anguish after the heroics of his only child. “Selfless – that’s what my son was. And it got him killed. But he saved others,” the father said. “Because of what he did, others are alive, and I thank God for that. … But there’s another part of you that wishes he just turned and ran, retreated, hid.” David Zalubowski/AP Parents waited for their children Tuesday at a recreation center in Highlands Ranch. Like many parents, John Castillo waited at a reunification center Tuesday for buses to drop off survivors. One by one, he watched parents and children embrace with relief. “We didn’t have that,” he said. But he takes solace in knowing other children are alive because of Kendrick. “I’d like the world to know this wasn’t your average kid. … He was extraordinary.” How the Columbine shooting nearby changed everything The grieving community had just marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in nearby Littleton that left 12 students and a teacher dead. But the Columbine shooting changed the way police respond to active shootings. In 1999, responding officers didn’t enter the school and it took 47 minutes after the gunfire erupted for SWAT teams to enter. On Tuesday, authorities were inside the STEM School Highlands Ranch within a few minutes after getting the first calls. “I have to believe that the quick response of the officers that got inside that school helped save lives,” Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said. But the tragedy dealt another traumatic blow to a community that’s endured a rash of mass shootings. “If you had suggested … that in 20 years, in 20 miles, we would have dealt with Columbine, Aurora theater, Arapahoe High School, the shooting of Zack Parrish and four other deputies, we’d have thought you mad,” district attorney George Brauchler said Wednesday. “Yet here we are again.” A private guard was one of the first to confront a shooter The school doesn’t have a school resource officer, but it did have a private security guard, Spurlock said. And that guard was among the first to confront one of the suspects, said Grant Whitus, chief operating officer of BOSS High Level Protection. Whitus – the first SWAT officer to enter Columbine 20 years ago – declined to identify the guard but said he was “instrumental” in stopping the attack. He said the guard drew his gun, took the suspect into custody and turned the suspect over to sheriff’s deputies. Had the guard not been on site, “countless lives would have been lost,” Whitus said. But the guard still feels bad that he couldn’t stop the entire attack. “He’s a very good guy,” Whitus said. “He’s wishing he could have done more.” “You never think this would be the new reality” Fernando Montoya’s 17-year-old son was shot three times on Tuesday, but he survived and was released from the hospital. “Thank God he is fine,” Montoya told CNN affiliate KMGH. “Even though he got shot, he’s OK. He’s going to walk out on his feet.” But the teen is still grappling with the fact that such violence could happen at this school. “It’s hard to believe that someone in the classroom is going to have a weapon and is just going to open fire like nothing,” Montoya told KMGH. The mother of another student said she got a horrifying call from her daughter: “‘Mommy, there’s a gun (being) shot at my school,’” the mother recalled to CNN affiliate KDVR. “(With) everything at Columbine, you never think this would be the reality of this situation.” “Our STEM family is hurting” KDVR Students at the STEM school hug Tuesday after two suspects opened fire inside the school. More than 1,850 students attend the STEM school, which includes grades K-12. “STEM” stands for science, technology, engineering and math. The STEM School Highlands Ranch is a “free, public charter school,” according to its website. “Our STEM family is hurting tonight,” Douglas County School Superintendent Thomas S. Tucker said in a letter to families Tuesday. “Supporting one another in the coming days, weeks and months is critical.” The school will be closed the rest of the week. CNN’s Marlena Baldacci, Ryan Young, Amanda Watts, Chris Boyette, Kalenah Arif, Jamiel Lynch, Paul Murphy, Matt Hilk, Dave Alsup, Joe Sutton and Allison Flexner contributed to this report.<doc-sep>HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. – A Colorado teen set to join the U.S. Marines this summer is credited with helping subdue a gunman during a shooting at his Denver-area school on Tuesday. The Marines said Brendan Bialy helped saved lives during the attack at the STEM School Highlands Ranch. One student died, and two suspects are in custody. "Brendan’s courage and commitment to swiftly ending this tragic incident at the risk of his own safety is admirable and inspiring," Capt. Michael Maggitti said in a statement. "His decisive actions resulted in the safety and protection of his teachers and fellow classmates." Bialy joined the Marines under the Delayed Entry Program, and is scheduled to ship out for basic training this summer. Student Nui Giasolli told NBC's "Today" show that multiple students in her literature class jumped at the shooter, including the student who was fatally shot. "They were very heroic," she said of the students who confronted the shooter. "I can't thank them enough." What we know now:Colorado school shooting updates: STEM school to be closed this week after 1 dead, 8 injured Three of the eight wounded remained hospitalized Wednesday. The family of Kendrick Castillo confirmed to multiple media outlets that the 18-year-old student was killed. “I want people to know about him,” Castillo's father, John Castillo, told ABC News. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said one suspect is a "female juvenile" after police originally identified the teen as male. The other was identified by police as Devon Erickson, 18. More:Second suspect in Colorado school shooting is a girl, sheriff says Spurlock told reporters Wednesday that at least one student encountered a suspect during the shooting but did not say more. “We’re going to hear about very heroic things that have taken place at the school,” Spurlock said. Never lie:How to talk to your kids about school shootings, like the one at Colorado's STEM school Contributing: John Bacon in McLean, Va. Miller also reported from McLean.<doc-sep>
The 18-year-old student killed in a Colorado school shooting died a hero days before he was to graduate high school, his father and classmates said. Kendrick Castillo, 18, was the sole person killed in the shooting on Tuesday at Stem School Highlands Ranch, a K-12 school outside Denver. Castillo lunged at a fellow student who pulled a gun, survivor Nui Giasolli told NBC’s Today Show. “Kendrick lunged at him, and he shot Kendrick,” Giasolli said, “giving all of us enough time to get underneath our desks, to get ourselves safe and to run across the room to escape.” Other students helped Castillo tackle the gunman, Giasolli said, adding they “were brave enough to bring him down so that all of us could escape and all of us could be reunited with our families”. “I can’t thank them enough,” she said. Suspects appear in court One of the shooting suspects, Devon Erickson, made his first court appearance on Wednesday, bowing his head during much of the proceedings as his hair covered his eyes. The 18-year-old was shackled at the waist with his hands cuffed as he sat in a courtroom flanked by two defense lawyers. Erickson nodded frequently in answering the judge’s questions but at one point the judge requested a verbal answer to whether he had any questions about the proceedings. Erickson simply replied: “No.” He is scheduled to return to court on Friday, when charges are expected to be filed. Erickson is one of the two suspects accused of opening fire at the school. The other suspect, a juvenile, was appeared before the judge afterwards. Prosecutors identified the second suspect as 16-year-old Maya McKinney. McKinney uses male pronouns and the name Alec, an attorney said. McKinney made eye contact with the judge and answered questions in a clear but quiet voice, saying “Yes, your honor” and “No, your honor”. The district attorney George Brauchler said he had not decided whether to file adult charges but added that McKinney was old enough to be charged as an adult without a judge’s review. ‘The best kid in the world’ The victim was described as an avid member of his school’s robotics team who liked fishing, hunting and cars. He had just three days of school left before graduation. “He was the best kid in the world,” John Castillo told the Denver Post, speaking through tears. “It doesn’t surprise me,” Castillo told the paper about reports of his son’s heroism. “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,” Castillo said, “but that’s not his character. His character is about protecting people, helping people.” Kendrick, his parents’ only child, was due to enroll in Arapahoe Community College in the fall and hoped to study engineering, his father said. “My wife and I are in a haze,” Castillo said. “He was everything to us.”