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
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
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.
ICYMI: Reporter interrupts broadcast to hug her son in midst of shooting at Denver school
A Fox News reporter immediately hugged her son after being reunited with him during a live broadcast of a shooting at his school in Denver, Colorado.
Alicia Acuna, the mother of a teenager, shared a heart-warming moment with her son outside East High School in Denver on Wednesday, where a student shot two faculty members.
Acuna told her colleagues in the studio to excuse her as she suddenly saw her son walking towards her. “I am sorry, I have not seen my kid since this all went down,” she said.
The reporter appeared to get emotional soon after and said there was no way anyone would let their kid walk by in such a situation.
Shweta Sharma reports.
Reporter reunited with own son in midst of shooting at Denver school
Alicia Acuna appears to be emotional after hugging her son live on air
Will more police in schools stop shootings?
After the recent school shooting in Denver, there have been calls to put more police officers on campus.
Would that have made a difference? It’s complicated.
Last year, we reported on how there’s little evidence police stop school shootings, but plenty of research that suggests campus officers disproportionately target youth of colour for arrest and suspicion.
Read our full story for more info on this debate.
Police didn’t stop shootings in Parkland or Uvalde. Biden is giving them $300m anyway
Campus police officers are often cited as an effective tool against gun violence. But the data shows they do little to stop school shootings — and often discriminate against students of colour. Josh Marcus reports
Denver cancels classes for ‘mental health day'
Denver Public Schools canceled classes and declared a “mental health” day on Friday, CBS News reports, following a shooting earlier this week that left two faculty members at an area high school seriously injured.
“As we learn more about the developments coming out of the shooting that took place at East High School yesterday, I want to extend my heartfelt apologies to the East High School community, and the larger DPS community,” DPS superintendent Dr Alex Marrero said in a letter to district leaders. “No student, employee, or community member should have to carry fear of potential violence when they walk into our buildings each day.”
Denver shooting suspect brought weapons to past school and was considered ‘threat to safety'
Austin Lyle, the alleged gunman in Wednesday’s school shooting in Denver, reportedly had a history of bringing weapons on campus.
Sources familiar with the teen, who was found dead on Wednesday evening, told ABC News a previous school had deemed him “potentially violent” and a “threat to the safety of the school” after a series of incidents between 2021 and 2022, including bringing a weapon on school grounds at Overland High School.
In 2021, Lyle was charged with weapons posession.
Denver votes to put police back in schools after shooting
Following a school board that wounded two people, the Denver Public School Board of Education voted unanimously on Thursday to put Denver police back into schools, just three years after officials removed officers from campus amid the 2020 racial justice protests.
The board asked superintendent Alex Marrero to fund at least two police officers and two mental health workers at all high schools for the remainder of the school year.
“We have not flip-flopped. What we are doing is including more community engagement because we did have a one-year-long process back in 2020 where we included community and we are including them once more so that we can hear from them again. So there’s no flip-flopping,” Board President Xóchtil Gaytán said during a news conference, The Colorado Sun reports.
Students rally at Colorado capitol after shooting
A crowd of students rallied on Thursday at the Colorado state capitol, following a Wednesday shooting that left two faculty members seriously wounded.
“I decided because I want safety for every student who is in high school and who is going to attend high school because it’s hard. As someone with anxiety problems, it gets really scary when you are paranoid being at school sometimes,” one student told CBS News.
They carried signs with messages like “End Gun Brutality,” “School Should Be A Safe Space,” and “We Are Not Safe.”
Ten guns have been confiscated from students in Denver schools between the start of the school year and February, according to Denver Public Schools.
What we know about Denver shooting 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.
Here’s what we know.
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
Denver suspect had past arrest record for guns
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.
Denver Police said that the shooting unfolded just before 10am while Lyle was undergoing a daily weapons search at the school.
During the search, staff members located a handgun and Lyle allegedly opened fire, striking the two faculty members before fleeing the scene.
Rachel Sharp reports.
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
What happened to the victims of the Denver shooting?
Two faculty members at a Denver high school were injured on Wednesday while searching a student for weapons as a part of a security plan based on his previous run-ins with the law.
During Wednesday’s search, staff members located a handgun and student Austin Lyle allegedly opened fire, striking Eric Sinclair, a dean of culture, and Jerald Mason, coordinator in restorative practice.
“As part of a safety plan they were undergoing a search, as part of that search a weapon was retrieved, a handgun was retrieved, and several shots were fired, striking those two individuals,” Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The two faculty members were rushed to hospital where Mr Sinclair remains in critical condition.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
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
Inside the manhunt that located the alleged Denver school gunman
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.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
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
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.