DENVER – Two male students armed with guns burst into a Colorado science and technology school and opened fire on Tuesday, killing one classmate and wounding eight others before being taken into custody, law enforcement officials said.
Several of the surviving victims of the attack at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School in Highlands Ranch, a Denver suburb, were initially listed in critical condition at local hospitals and in surgery, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said at a briefing.
The sheriff’s department confirmed that one student, an 18-year-old male, was killed in the shooting. The father of Kendrick Castillo told NBC News that his son was the student killed, but the family declined to be interviewed Tuesday night.
The adult suspect was identified by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday night as Devon Erickson, 18.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, responded to the scene to assist.
The White House said in a statement that it was in contact with law enforcement and that President Donald Trump was monitoring the situation.
“Our prayers are with the victims, family members, and all those affected by today’s shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Littleton, Colorado,” the statement said. “Tragically, this community and those surrounding it know all too well these hateful and horrible acts of violence.”
STEM School Highlands Ranch has 1,850 students — 550 elementary age students, 700 in middle school and 600 high school students, according to the district.
The campus is just eight miles southeast of Columbine High School in Littleton, site of the April 20, 1999, mass shooting in which two gunmen murdered 12 fellow students and a teacher before killing themselves.
