Devon Erickson has been identified as one of the gunmen in the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting near Denver. The shooting injured nine students, while one was fatally shot. Two students were held as suspects following the incident.
“We know two individuals walked into the STEM school, got deep inside the school and engaged students in two separate locations,” Sheriff Tony Spurlock of Douglas County said, via the New York Times. “I can tell you that there were shots fired. Our officers went in and engaged the suspects. We did struggle with the suspects to take them into custody.”
Erickson is 18 years old. A juvenile suspect has not been identified at this time.
According to a Telemundo reporter, one of the victims, 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo, “died as a hero, faced the gunmen…seeking to save the lives of his companions.”
#Kendrickcastillo el jovencito que murió como un héroe, se enfrentó a los pistoleros de #STEMshooting en #HighlandsRanch buscando salvar la vida de sus compañeros .. Dios lo tenga en su gloria
pic.twitter.com/V6DFiNzt8R
— maria paula ochoa (@ochoamariapaula) May 8, 2019
Since the shooting, a number of politicians have spoken out about the incident, including President Donald Trump who issued an official statement through the White House.
“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.”
The STEM school will be closed for the remainder of the week. Other schools in the area, meanwhile, will remain open but will have elevated levels of security.
Nyki Giasolli, whose daughter Kamanaui was in the classroom as the shooting happened, said that two of her classmates helped neutralize the shooter, according to a report from NBC News.
“She said that two of her classmates took the shooters down, and she was able to escape,” Giasolli said. “She just said there were people shot; that’s all I know. She called me, and she was hysterical and she told me that there had been a shooting.”
Our deepest condolences are with those who have been impacted by the shooting.