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Surrounded by officials, Sheriff Tony Spurlock of Douglas County identified the suspects in the shooting Tuesday at STEM School Highlands Ranch, which killed an 18-year-old senior who had only three days of classes left and injured eight other students. Earlier, he said, officers had mistakenly identified the juvenile as a young man.
The suspects, who were also students at the school, carried two handguns and at least one of them was restrained by a school security officer by the time law enforcement arrived, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said the attackers got “deep inside the school,” which he described as having two major crime scenes, including a classroom where most of the shooting took place. At least one student, he added “actually tried to stop one of the suspects and was shot.” That student was injured but survived, he said.
“We are going to hear about very heroic things that have taken place,” Spurlock said.
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While details of the shooting remained sparse, relayed some of the chaos that erupted in their classroom.
Brad Bialy said his oldest son, Brendan, a senior, told him that he was in class when gunfire erupted. Bialy said his son told him that two students entered the classroom and one pulled a gun out of a guitar case.
He said his son and two friends tried to tackle the gunman, but one of the boys was shot in the chest. Other students tried to stanch the bleeding by putting pressure on his chest, Bialy said.
Spurlock said deputies had to force their way into the school because it was locked down. Law enforcement happened to choose a door that was near the shooting and quickly apprehended one of the suspects, who was identified as Devon Erickson, 18.
Erickson will have his first court hearing Wednesday afternoon, said District Attorney George Brauchler. He added that he would consider trying the juvenile suspect as an adult.
Spurlock said neither suspect had been on law enforcement’s radar before the shooting and that the motive was unknown.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.