1 dead, multiple injured in shooting at Highlands Ranch STEM School
At a Wednesday morning press conference, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has revealed that a juvenile female and an adult male are in custody following a deadly shooting at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch Tuesday afternoon.
One person is dead and eight others were injured due to the shooting. As of Wednesday morning, three of the victims remain in the hospital.
The deceased victim has been identified as 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo. He was three days away from graduating.
District Attorney George Brauchler says there will be a preliminary advisement for the male suspect on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. He has been identified as 18-year-old Devon Erickson (pictured below). The photo is from Erickson’s Facebook page, police have yet to release his mugshot.
The juvenile suspect was identified as Maya Elizabeth McKinney, also known as Alec McKinney. McKinney also appeared in court Wednesday and faces the same charges as Erickson.
KDVR reports Erickson is facing 30 felony counts, which includes one count of first-degree murder and 29 counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Erickson will not face formal charges until later. Erickson was in court for a first appearance at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, he’ll next appear in court on Friday at 1:30 p.m. He’s being held without bond.
Search warrants have been issued for the suspect’s homes and vehicles. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock says at least two handguns were used in this shooting, and that a privately contracted school security guard already had one of the suspects apprehended when law enforcement arrived within two minutes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is handling the crime scene investigation.
Sheriff Spurlock says the suspects were students at the school and entered the building through the middle school entrance. The school does not have metal detectors.
Governor Jared Polis spoke at the Wednesday morning press conference, and called Tuesday’s shooting a “vicious act of violence”.
According to the Douglas County School District Superintendent, STEM School will be closed for the remainder of the week. All other DCSD schools will be open as normal with heightened security.
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One student is dead and multiple others were injured in a shooting at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch Tuesday afternoon.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and dozens of other officers were at the school throughout the afternoon and evening, which is near Ridgeline and Plaza Drive in Highlands Ranch. (MAP) The call came in at 1:53 p.m.
The sheriff’s office reported at about 3:30 p.m. that eight students were injured; some of them were reported to be in critical condition but others are in stable condition. They have been taken to area hospitals. Authorities said their ages were “15 and up.”
Police confirmed that an 18-year-old male student died after the shooting. It’s not clear if that student was one of the original eight reported injured.
The undersheriff said quite a few shots were fired initially, but officers reported still hearing gunshots when they arrived at the school, according to the Douglas County undersheriff. Deputies arrived within two minutes after the first gunshots.
Two suspects are in custody, according to the spokesperson, and no other active shooters are suspected to be on campus. Those suspects were taken into custody by responding officers.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the suspects were an adult male and a juvenile male, and that they were both students of the STEM school.
The adult suspect was identified as 18-year-old Devon Erickson.
(PHOTOS: 2 in custody after school shooting in Highlands Ranch)
Spurlock said they were able to get “deep” into the school and started firing in two different locations.
Authorities also recovered a vehicle from the suspects, and police are searching their “houses.” Spurlock said the suspects weren’t previously on the radar of local police.
Deputies haven’t said what kind of firearms were used, but Spurlock said a handgun was referenced during an interview.
The sheriff’s office said there was some sort of struggle when the suspects were taken into custody. Students reportedly helped tackle the two shooters.
One of those who helped subdue the shooters was identified as Brendan Bialy. Bialy wasn’t injured, and a representative for his family said he’s primarily concerned with the victims and their families.
Numerous agencies are helping with the situation, and SWAT officers were searching the property room by room, a spokesperson said during a news conference at about 2:55 p.m.
