updated 6:50 p.m.
Police responded to an “active shooter situation” Friday at a high school in the suburbs of Denver. Police said the suspected shooter was found dead in the school of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Two other students were injured in the incident, police said. One suffered a gunshot wound and is in serious condition in a local hospital; another suffered minor injuries.
The shooter was a student who apparently intended to confront a teacher. According to Grayson Robinson, Arapahoe County Sheriff, the teacher immediately left the building in the hopes that the shooter would also leave.
Sheriff Robinson said officials were in contact with the shooter’s family and will examine his locker and his home. Authorities declined to identify the shooter.
The incident at Arapahoe High School occurred a day before the first anniversary of the mass shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn. Arapahoe High School is a 15-minute drive from Columbine High School, the scene of a deadly shooting in 1999.
President Obama was notified about the incident while he was meeting at the White House with mayors. New York mayor-elect Bill de Blasio told reporters that when Obama told the mayors about the shooting, “We all cringed.”
“This is an unspeakable horror and something no child, no family should have to endure,” said Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Arapahoe High School community and those affected by this senseless act of violence. We thank law enforcement and first responders for their swift work. All of Colorado is with you.”
David Taintor