HIGHLANDS RANCH – The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate after shots were fired at STEM School Highlands Ranch Tuesday afternoon.
According to news partner Denver 7, multiple high-ranking law enforcement sources say one student has died from injuries sustained in the incident. Three students have been discharged from the hospital and two remain in serious condition.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the death of the one student, saying only that the student is an 18-year-old male.
It is with extreme sadness that we can confirm that 1 student at the STEM School was killed in today’s #stemshooting incident. The immediate family has been notified. Douglas County Coroner Jill Romann has not officially identified the student is stating it’s an 18 year old male.
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) May 8, 2019
According to the Sheriff’s Office, eight students were confirmed wounded in the shooting that started in the middle school portion of the large campus.
The Sheriff’s Office said two suspects are in custody and are both believed to be students at the school. They were initially identified only as an adult male and a juvenile male.
Around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night, the Sheriff’s Office identified the adult suspect as 18-year-old Devon Erickson. They said they will not be releasing photos at this time, as it could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
#stemshooting Adult suspect has been identified as Devon Erickson, age 18. We will not be releasing any photos at this time as it could jeopardize this critical on-going invest. We still have interviews to conduct and we want to make sure we have the most accurate information
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) May 8, 2019
The eight students were taken to multiple Denver area hospitals.
There was an extensive search of the campus and surrounding area by SWAT teams, but there is no sign of a possible third shooter, according to law enforcement.
The STEM School is K – 12 and is attended by roughly 1,800 students. The campus is one block from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, which allowed for a quick response.
The area was crowded with fire trucks, ambulances and three medical helicopters on campus prepared to evacuate the wounded.
All of the medical helicopters had left the campus as of 4:00 p.m. due to severe weather moving into Denver-metro.
A lockout for all Douglas County school campuses was lifted at 3:50 p.m. During the lockout it was a very terrifying time as parents waited anxiously to be reunited with their children.
Parents were told to reunite their children at Northridge Rec. Center. The rec center is located at 8800 S. Broadway.
Here’s our first up close look at the STEM School. ATF agents are standing outside the entrance and the entire property is surrounded by crime scene tape. pic.twitter.com/70yNTFnKFo
— Zach Thaxton (@ZachThaxton) May 8, 2019
