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The shooter who fired a revolver at a high school in the Denver suburbs and injured two students has been identified as a 16-year-old boy who had been radicalized by an “extremist network,” law enforcement officials said Thursday.
The shooting took place at around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado. The suspect, who has been named as student Desmond Holly, struck one victim inside the school and another outside. Holly took his own life and later died, the Associated Press reported, citing the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
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The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday also identified one of the shooting victims as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone.
“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,” Silverstone’s family said in a statement.
Holly had been “radicalized by some extremist network,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said during a news conference. She suggested authorities reached that conclusion after searching his home and phone, according to the Associated Press.
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The two victims, who are undergoing treatment at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado, remained in critical condition Thursday. It is not yet clear if Holly targeted the victims or if they were shot at random, Kelley said.
“He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire reload,” Kelley said. “This went on and on, and as he did that he tried to find new targets.”
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The shooter, who had lots of ammunition, was unable to enter areas of the school where students had been sheltering as he was blocked by secured doors, she added.
More than 100 police officers from the Denver area responded to the incident at the high school, which has over 900 students. Officers found the shooter within five minutes of arriving at the scene, Kelley said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Thursday that the Denver field office was continuing to coordinate with partner agencies to investigate the shooting.
“Most importantly, our thoughts continue to be with the two victims injured in the shooting and all those who have been impacted by this horrific attack,” Patel said on Thursday. “We will share more as we are able.”
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was also the primary agency that responded to the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, which left 14 dead, AP reported.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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