2 shot at Denver-area high school, teen suspect found dead
Dec 13, 2013, 8:02 PM | Updated: Dec 14, 2013, 12:07 am
A teenaged suspect in a shooting at a Denver-area high school has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene Friday afternoon, said authorities.
At least one teen was critically wounded by a bullet and two other students suffered injuries before the crisis ended.
A day before the one-year anniversary of the shooting of a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school, police were on the scene at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, a suburb south of Denver, searching for a shooter. The area is about eight miles east of Littleton’s Columbine High School.
The suspect entered the high school at approximately 12:33 p.m. MT, looking for a specific teacher. The teacher left immediately, in an attempt to encourage the armed suspect to leave the school.
Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said the school was evacuated “slowly, deliberately and meticulously” to ensure the safety of the students and to confirm that there were no other suspects in the school or surrounding area.
Robinson would not reveal the shooter’s age or name.
#BREAKING: Armed student came to #ArapahoeHigh looking for a specific teacher, a student confronted him and was shot — per @ArapahoeSO
— 7NEWS Denver Channel (@DenverChannel) December 13, 2013
A Littleton Adventist Hospital spokesman said a student was taken to
a hospital in critical condition.
The suspect had a shotgun and was also armed with a Molotov cocktail, according to a scanner exchange. Students told the media that at least two students were shot in the cafeteria.
Another TV station reported area schools were also locked down.
Students led out of the school were patted down by law enforcement.
A crime reporter listening to a police scanner has been tweeting the incident:
Scanner: Shotgun shells found in athletic hall and library
— Mitchell Byars (@mitchellbyars) December 13, 2013
Scanner: Most of school except for library cleared. Going through and checking locked rooms #ArapahoeHigh
— Mitchell Byars (@mitchellbyars) December 13, 2013
Scanner: Molotov cocktail found on suspect #ArapahoeHigh
— Mitchell Byars (@mitchellbyars) December 13, 2013
Another reporter monitoring police scanners said students said they heard three or four shots before the cafeteria lights were turned off and students dropped to the floor.
Robinson said that crisis intervention and mental health professionals will be on-hand for staff and students.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
