Denver school shooting: School board lifts ban on armed guards as students protest at Colorado Capitol
Austin Lyle was the prime suspect in the shooting at East High School in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday morning
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The Denver school board has lifted its ban on armed guards and police officers in its schools in the wake of this week’s shooting.
On Thursday, the board voted unanimously in favour of temporarily suspending the almost two-year ban which was put in place as part of the racial reckoning after George Floyd’s 2020 murder.
The same day, a crowd of students held a rally at the Colorado state Capitol calling on lawmakers to take greater action on gun control and school safety following Wednesday’s violence.
Austin Lyle, a 17-year-old student, allegedly shot two faculty members at East High School on Wednesday morning while he was being searched for weapons.
The teenager had been required to be patted down each day at school due to his record, police said.
After the shooting, Lyle allegedly killed himself while on the run from police.
His body was found hours later in some woods close to his abandoned red Volvo.
The two victims – Eric Sinclair, a dean of culture, and Jerald Mason, coordinator in restorative practice – were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds. Mr Sinclair remains in critical condition while Mr Mason was later released after treatment.
VIDEO: Fox News reporter embraces son as he exits East High School
Alicia Acuna is a reporter in the Denver bureau for Fox News.
Her son attends East High School and she became emotional as she caught up with him live on the air while reporting on the shooting on Wednesday.
Mayor speaks to fears of parents: 'We feel for them’
Mayor Michael Hancock addressed the fears of parents for their children when he spoke on Wednesday.
“We feel for them… There should never be a concern of parents that they are safe in the building,” he said, according to The Denver Post.
Denver Public Schools tweeted this morning that the school had gone into lockdown.
“All students are in their third-period classrooms,” the district said. “We are holding them there until further notice.”
They later announced that “we will be doing a controlled release once DPD allows” and that parents could collect their kids at 17th Avenue and Esplanade.
“Students who drove will be escorted to their cars in the parking lot and can leave. Students who ride the bus will be held until their bus arrives,” the district said at about 10.30am on Wednesday.
Suspect identified in Denver shooting
Police are searching for 17-year-old Austin Lyle in connection with a Wednesday school shooting in Denver, Colorado, that injured two school administrators.
Police described the teen as a Black male, about 5 feet, 5 inches, who was last seen wearing a green hoodie and may be driving a red 2005 Volvo XC90, Fox News reports.
A reward of $2,000 has been offered for information leading to the alleged gunman’s arrest.
‘It’s something that everybody has to worry about,’ student says after hiding in 7/11
Student Anae Hernandez told The Denver Post that she was outside the school when she saw an ambulance and one of the wounded members of faculty on a stretcher.
She was told that a shooting had taken place and she hid in a 7/11.
“It’s scary,” she told the paper. “It keeps us from our learning time.”
“I feel like it’s something that everybody has to worry about here a lot,” she added. “Because this is not like something that just happens once in a while. This is a recurring theme and it’s not something that should be going on.”
Her grandmother Jeannie Hernandez told the paper that “last time, I just hugged them and hugged them and told them how sorry I was”.
Colorado Senator issues statement on shooting: ‘No one should have to live with the daily fear of gun violence'
Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennett issued a statement on Twitter following the East High School shooting.
“I’m saddened to hear about two staff members who were shot at East High School,” he said. “I’m thinking of the kids, parents, teachers, and staff at East, and the entire Denver community at this time. No one should have to live with the daily fear of gun violence like this.”
Father says this year has been ‘relentless’ for East High School students amidst multiple lockdowns
The father of a senior at East High School has told The Denver Post that the last few months have been “relentless” for students at the school as they have gone through multiple lockdowns following a previous shooting last month.
Luis Garcia was shot while he was sitting in his car near the school on 13 February. He died from his injuries on 1 March.
Students have said they have been placed on lockdown several times since that shooting and a firearm was found on campus the day after students went back to classes.
False reports of threats have been sent to the school twice since autumn.
Ben Roy is the father of a senior at the school. He told The Post that this year has been “relentless” for the students.
“It feels like every other week there’s been a perimeter lockdown,” he said on Wednesday. “It’s just constant.”
“I think what scares them, for my son, is how little he reacts now,” he added. “He’s grown numb to it and at other times anxious. I hate this is the world we’ve made for them.”
PHOTOS: Students reunite with parents after shooting
No school resource officers on campus at time of shooting
There were no school resource officers on campus at the time of Wednesday’s shooting, Police Chief Ron Thomas said.
But following the shooting, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said two armed officers will be posted at East High School through the end of the school year.
In June 2020, amid a summer of protests over racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd, Denver Public Schools became one of the districts around the US that decided to phase out its use of police officers in school buildings.
That push was fueled by criticism that school resource officers disproportionately arrested Black students, sweeping them into the criminal justice system.
Gun violence at schools has become increasingly common in the U.S. with more than 1,300 shootings recorded between 2000 and June 2022, according to researchers from the Naval Postgraduate School and Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
Those shootings killed 377 people and wounded 1,025, according to a database maintained by the researchers.
PHOTOS: Students meet with parents after shooting
Denver school suspect shooter found dead - report
The 17-year-old boy suspected of shooting two administrators at the Denver high school was found dead in an apparent suicide, reported 9News.
It comes after Park County police confirmed a body was found yesterday night in the Colorado woods near the abandoned car that belonged to a 17-year-old student.
But the police did not identify the body.
A law enforcement source told 9News that the body was of the suspect, Austin Lyle, who died of suicide.
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