A student was released after shooting two adult staff members at a Denver high school while stroking them, police said Wednesday.
Around 9:50 a.m., police were called about the shooting at Higashi High School and found two adults with gunshot wounds. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said at a press conference that one was in critical condition and the other was in stable condition.
Police are looking for the suspect. The suspect was described as a black schoolboy who was under a security plan that required him to be searched on his daily arrival to school.
During the search, which took place outside the school building away from other students, a firearm was placed over the student and “several shots were fired,” Thomas said, according to officials. The student then fled the scene.
Police said they knew who he was and where he lived, and that they were serving a search warrant at his residence.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said, “He’s clearly armed and dangerous, and as we learned this morning, is willing to use the weapon.
To date, school officials had found no guns in the students in previous searches, Thomas said.
Denver Public Schools principal Alex Marrero declined to elaborate on why students were given safety plans. He said he bases his safety plans on “educational and behavioral experience.”
At the time of the shooting, paramedics were already at the school due to another incident involving a student who had an allergic reaction, so they were able to provide immediate medical attention to the two adult victims.
The shooting is the latest in a string of incidents involving gun violence at East High School. In February, 16-year-old student Luis Garcia was shot while parking his car near the school grounds. He died two weeks later.
His fellow East High School students left the classroom in early March to head to the State Capitol to protest gun violence and advocate for tougher gun control measures.
