Authorities identified the gunman who injured two students in a shooting at Evergreen High School near Denver on Wednesday as 16-year-old Desmond Holly, a student at the school.
The shooter died on Wednesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
The two students who were injured in the shooting were in critical condition on Wednesday after being transported to local hospitals, officials said. Their ages have not been released.
One of the victims was identified by his family as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone. His family issued a statement through the sheriff's office that said, "The family appreciates the community’s concern and support, but as we remain focused on our loved one’s recovery, we respectfully request privacy as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead."
During a press conference on Thursday, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Jacki Kelley said investigators are working to determine a motive in the shooting.
However, Kelley did say that investigators believe he had been "radicalized by some extremist network."
The gunman reportedly used a revolver handgun that he loaded multiple times. Kelley said "a lot" of rounds were fired inside and outside of the school, making it hard to determine at this time if it was a targeted or random attack.
The incident began around 12:40 p.m. local time, when the sheriff's office first issued an alert warning about an "active assailant" in the area of the school.
Kelley said students — roughly 900 of them — were in their lunch hour at the time, so they were located around various parts of the school campus. Once the shooting began, students fled in different directions searching for safety through the wooded areas surrounding the school.
One of the students who was shot was found on a roadway behind the school, according to law enforcement.
Deputies responded to the scene within minutes, Kelley said.
“The students and the staff at the school were amazing. They did their job," she added. "They did it well. And lives were saved yesterday because of the actions they took during their lockdown drill."
Evergreen High School does have a full-time school resource officer through the sheriff's office, but Kelley said that individual was on medical leave. There are part-time officers who rotate the responsibility, but the deputy assigned on Wednesday had left the school grounds to respond to a nearby crash.
Kelley said she believes the security resource officer being off grounds was coincidental and not part of the shooter's plan.
A residence where the shooter reportedly lived with his parents was searched by law enforcement. It's located in a gated community about 6 miles away from the school.
Kelley said the family has been cooperating with the investigation at this time. She said she could not provide information on the evidence collected from the home, and could not say where the teen got the handgun at this time, as the investigation is ongoing.
