What We Know About the Colorado High School Shooting

Two students were injured in a shooting at a Colorado high school on Wednesday after another student opened fire.

The suspect later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said on Thursday that they have identified the suspect as Desmond Holly, a 16-year-old student at the school.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement shared on social media on Wednesday night that he and the community were “devastated” by the attack, and were keeping the victims in their thoughts.

“My heart goes out to the victims of the Evergreen shooting and their families as they grapple with this senseless act of violence,” he said. “This kind of violence has no place in Colorado, especially our schools where kids should feel safe to learn and grow. No family should ever fear for their child’s life as they send them to school.”

The attack occurred the same day that Charlie Kirk, an influential right-wing activist, was shot and killed at an event he was hosting at Utah Valley University. Just two weeks earlier, two children were killed and 17 other people were injured after a suspect opened fire at a Catholic school Mass in Minneapolis.

Here’s what to know about the shooting in Colorado.

What happened?

Authorities received the first report of a shooting at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said during a press briefing that day. Soon afterward, authorities started receiving many calls reporting the incident.

Officers responded to the school, and made contact with the suspect in about five minutes, Kelley said in a press briefing on Thursday. She didn’t share the details of their interaction with the suspect. She previously said that officers hadn’t fired any shots when responding to the incident.

Three students who suffered from gunshot wounds, including the shooter, were transported to receive medical treatment, according to authorities. The suspect used a revolver handgun, and fired shots both inside and outside the school, Kelley said. One of the victims was shot inside the school, while the other was shot outside, according to Kelley. She said that surveillance cameras at the school recorded the shooting.

According to Kelley, the school used to have a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO), which is a law enforcement officer assigned to educational institutions. That role is now shared between sheriff’s deputies, since the former full-time SRO is on leave. At the time the shooting started, there was no SRO at the school; the on-duty SRO had been dispatched before the incident to the site of an accident nearby, Kelley said.

More than 900 students are enrolled at Evergreen High School, which is located west of Denver, in Jefferson County. The county was the site of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, in which more than a dozen people were killed.

Kelley said on Thursday that Evergreen High School will be closed through the rest of the week. 

What do we know about the suspect?

Kelley said on Thursday that authorities are still investigating a possible motive for the shooting, but that, based on information they’ve learned, the suspect “was radicalized by some extremist network.” 

“The details of that will be down the road, but we wanted to at least give you that much about, maybe, mindset for him,” Kelley said. She added that authorities can’t yet say whether the shooting was targeted or random.

Authorities have obtained search warrants for the suspect’s home, phone, and locker, according to Kelley. She added that the suspect didn’t bring a vehicle to the school, and instead had taken the bus. Authorities have been in contact with the suspect’s parents, who Kelley said have been “cooperative” with the investigation. 

The suspect brought a lot of ammunition to the school, Kelley said, though she wasn’t sure how many rounds were fired. She said investigators are still trying to determine how the suspect obtained the gun.

What is the status of the victims?

On Thursday, Kelley said that the two victims were still hospitalized and in critical condition. She added that some reports that one of the victims had been released from the hospital were false.

How many school shootings have there been in 2025?

There have been 300 reported mass shootings so far this year in the U.S., as of Thursday, according to the Gun Violence Archive. A couple weeks ago, that number was 286.

About 47 school shootings have occurred so far in 2025, as of Wednesday, according to a CNN analysis. Other data suggest that number may be even higher: Everytown for Gun Safety, for instance, reported that there have been at least 100 gunfire incidents reported on school property so far this year, resulting in 32 deaths and 98 injuries.