Authorities identify Colorado school shooter, say he was radicalized by ‘extremist network’

Police have identified the 16-year-old shooter who wounded two students yesterday at Evergreen High School in Denver, and authorities say he had been radicalized by an “extremist network.”

Colorado Springs CBS affiliate KKTV reported that deputies identified the shooter as Desmond Holly, himself a student at Evergreen. He died from self-inflicted injuries after shooting and wounding two other students. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, both students were in critical condition in the hospital as of late Thursday morning. 

KKTV reported that one of the victims was shot inside the school and the other was shot in the street behind the building. AP News reported that the school resource officer was on medical leave, while the two part-time officers who had taken over the job were not at the school at the time of the shooting. According to the outlet, the officer at the school that day was sent to a nearby accident before the shooting occurred. 

AP News also reported that though the sheriff’s office said Holly had been radicalized, further details were not disclosed. More information will come at a later date, the sheriff’s spokesperson, Jacki Kelley, reportedly said during a press conference Thursday.

Kelley also said it was not clear if Holly was motivated to target the two victims specifically or if they were shot randomly. She said he brought “quite a bit of ammunition” to the school that day and repeatedly fired and reloaded as he went through the school.

According to AP News, authorities are still investigating the shooting and have been in contact with Holly’s parents. Authorities are also determining whether his parents should face criminal charges for allowing him access to the gun. KKTV reported that the ownership of the gun has not yet been confirmed.