The suspected gunman who shot two students before shooting himself Wednesday at Evergreen High School has died, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday night.
The big picture: The shooting happened just before 12:30pm on campus grounds, both in and outside the school — which has over 900 students and is about 30 miles southwest of Denver, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
- The three students, including the suspected shooter, were taken to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood.
- As of Wednesday evening, one remained in serious condition, and another was upgraded to stable condition and transferred to a different facility, spokesperson Lindsay Radford told Axios Denver.
- A fourth person was injured, though that individual was not shot, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley told reporters.
Zoom in: The suspected shooter — a juvenile male armed with a handgun — fired on schoolmates before sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities confirmed Wednesday evening. His age, as well as information about the victims, have not been made known.
- Federal law enforcement, including the FBI, responded to the incident. Local authorities arrived within two minutes of being alerted, officials said.
State of play: Investigators plan to search the suspect's home, car and locker to learn more about him and his motive, Kelley said.
- They are also interviewing numerous students who witnessed the shooting.
What they're saying: "Students should be able to attend school safely and without fear across our state and nation," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement, adding he was closely monitoring the situation.
- In a statement on X, Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet said he was "horrified" to hear what had happened.
Zoom out: The Colorado school shooting unfolded just two weeks after a shooter opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen others.
Flashback: Colorado has a tragic legacy of school shootings, with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Littleton becoming a national flashpoint for school safety.
- Two students died after a shooting at Arapahoe High School in 2013, and another student was fatally shot at STEM School Highlands Ranch in 2019.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.
