One student has died and seven have been injured following a shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch, a charter school with students in every grade between kindergarten and Grade 12 that’s located near Denver, reports said Tuesday.
There are two people in custody – one adult, one juvenile. The adult suspect was identified as 18-year-old Devon Erickson, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department tweeted on Tuesday night.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said earlier that the suspects engaged students in two locations, and a number of students were subsequently shot and injured.
The school notified police about the incident “almost immediately” after the first shots were fired, he said.
WATCH: At least 7 injured in shooting at school in Colorado, 2 suspects in custody
Several victims are in critical condition and police are working to unify family members with the students.
READ MORE: Columbine school shooting – family, friends pay tribute to victims on 20th anniversary
Most victims are believed to have been reunited with their families but police know of one other student who hasn’t been yet.
The suspects were not injured in the shooting.
“We are going to do everything to investigate this to determine what happened,” Spurlock said.
It’s not clear whether anyone in particular at the school was targeted.
Police are investigating whether there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and sheriff’s deputies.
All of the shooting victims are aged 15 and up, but Spurlock had no more information to identify them.
Some victims have gone into surgery, while others are in stable condition at other hospitals.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the shooting at around 4:15 p.m. ET.
The sheriff’s office subsequently told parents to go to the Northridge Rec Center to pick up their children.
Police initially said there were seven confirmed injuries, possibly eight.
WATCH: Police in Colorado say multiple students injured, 2 shooters in custody
The FBI’s crime scene unit will handle what happened in the school’s interior during the shooting.
Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are also assisting.
CBS Denver reported that Littleton Adventist hospital had victims from the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.
Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Co., meanwhile, had two victims in stable condition, the network added.
READ MORE: Alberta remembers Taber school shooting 20 years later
Children’s Hospital Colorado, which is located in Aurora, is treating another patient who was hurt in the shooting, KDVR reported.
One student told KUSA-TV he was left “a bit shaky” and “scared” following the shooting, but he was “glad I didn’t get hurt.”
- With files from Reuters
Comments