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.
Students from East High School were set to testify before Colorado Legislature on gun safety bills.
Students from East High School had been scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon before the Colorado Legislature on gun safety bills.
“This is the reality of being young in America: sitting through a shooting and waiting for information just hours before you’re scheduled to testify in support of gun safety bills,” said Gracie Taub, a 16-year-old East High School sophomore and volunteer with Students Demand Action in Colorado.
“Our school experience should not be completely shaped by gun violence,” she added.
Victims identified
The two victims have now been identified as Eric Sinclair, a dean of culture, and Jerald Mason, coordinator in restorative practice.
The two male faculty members were both shot during the Wednesday morning incident at East Denver High School.
They were rushed to hospital.
Mr Sinclair remains in critical condition while Mr Mason was later released from hospital after treatment.
PHOTOS: Parents meet students after East High School shooting
Coroner identifies body as suspect Austin Lyle
On Thursday morning, the Park County coroner’s office confirmed that a body found in the search for the gunman was that of suspect Austin Lyle.
Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw said on Wednesday night that police had located a male body in some woods close to an abandoned red Volvo associated with the 17-year-suspect.
The sheriff said that the body had not yet been identified as belonging to the student but a shelter-in-place was lifted for residents in the Park County area.
Early on Thursday, the coroner confirmed the body belongs to Lyle.
The coroner said that an investigation is now under way into his death and that no further details will be provided until an autopsy was completed.
Full story: Student gunman found dead
The student accused of shooting two staff members at a high school in Denver, Colorado – leaving one in critical condition – has now been found dead.
Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw said on Wednesday night that police had located a male body in some woods close to an abandoned red Volvo associated with 17-year-suspect Austin Lyle.
The sheriff said that the body had not yet been identified as belonging to the student but a shelter-in-place was lifted for residents in the Park County area.
On Thursday morning, the county’s coroner’s office confirmed that the body was that of Lyle.
Read the full story here:
Denver school shooting suspect Austin Lyle found dead after manhunt
Austin Lyle, 17, was found dead in a wooded area hours after he allegedly shot two faculty members at East High School in Denver, Colorado
‘Clearly they were concerned’: Professor says daily searches indicate ‘history of the kid carrying a weapon’
The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting had transferred to East High School from another district, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said.
Officials did not reveal why the student was being searched daily.
Marrero said safety plans for students are enacted in response to “past educational and also behavioral experiences,” adding that it’s a common practice throughout Colorado’s public schools.
But daily pat downs are rare, said Matthew McClain with the Colorado School Counselor Association, and Franci Crepeau-Hobson, a University of Colorado Denver professor specializing in school violence prevention.
“Clearly they were concerned,” said Crepeau-Hobson. “I can’t imagine they’d do that if there wasn’t a history of the kid carrying a weapon for whatever reason.”
School safety plans are often imposed after students exhibit threatening or suicidal behavior, said Christine Harms, director of the Colorado School Safety Resource Center. A team that can include counselors, administrators and police officers assesses the possible threat and develops a safety plan, which can include mental health support, more supervision and searches, she said.
Suspect was arrested over ghost gun two years before shooting
The student accused of shooting two staff members at a high school in Denver, Colorado, before allegedly killing himself had been arrested for possession of a ghost gun two years earlier.
Austin Lyle, 17, allegedly shot Eric Sinclair, dean of culture, and Jerald Mason, coordinator in restorative practice, at East High School in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday morning.
Following an hours-long manhunt to track down the student, Lyle’s body was discovered in a wooded area.
Now, the teenager’s past brushes with the law have come to light, revealing that he was still on probation for possession of a ghost gun at the time of Wednesday’s shooting.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Denver student, 17, was arrested over ghost gun two years before high school shooting
Austin Lyle, 17, was arrested in 2021 for possession of a ghost gun and high capacity magazine
Shooting comes just one month after student was fatally shot
The shooting marks just the latest gun violence to rock East Denver High school in the space of a month.
In February, 16-year-old student Luis Garcia was shot as he sat in a parked car close to the school grounds.
He died weeks later.
Following his death, a group of fellow students called on local officials to take action to make their schools safer.
Several attended a city council meeting and spoke on their fears over gun violence in schools while the Denver East High School chapter of Students Demand Action staged a walkout demanding better gun control.
FULL STORY: A Denver student on probation shot two people during a school security check. Who is suspect Austin Lyle?
America has endured yet another act of gun violence at one of its schools.
This time it took place at East High School in Denver, Colorado, where two faculty staff members were shot and a student suspect is now dead.
Austin Lyle, a 17-year-old student who had a prior arrest for possession of a ghost gun two years earlier, allegedly shot Eric Sinclair, dean of culture, and Jerald Mason, coordinator in restorative practice, in an office in the high school on Wednesday morning.
Lyle was undergoing a search for weapons by staff members at the time – a search the teen was required to undergo every day due to his past record.
Following the shooting, Lyle fled the scene before his body was discovered hours later in a wooded area.
Officials have not released his cause of death but he is believed to have died by suicide.
Here’s what we know so far about the shooting and the suspected gunman:
Who is Austin Lyle? Student accused of shooting two staff members at Denver school
Two faculty staff members are wounded – one critically – and a student suspect is now dead after East High School in Denver, Colorado, became the site of America’s latest school shooting, reports Rachel Sharp
At least 18 school shootings so far in 2023
The shooting on Wednesday marks only the latest in a long line of shootings to rock students and school staff across America.
So far in 2023, there has been at least 18 shootings resulting in at least one injury or death at elementary or secondary schools across America, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Gun violence and mass shootings in all settings have also soared.
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