Toward the end of the school year at a charter school, eleven students and their families were forever changed—two shooters, eight injured and one who died.
The night prior to the school shooting, according to the arrest warrant, a female student (16-years-old) transitioning to become a male messaged her friend, an 18-year-old male, and told him to stay away from the school the next day.
The girl who had sent the message the night before told her friend she felt suicidal, wanted revenge on certain students at the school for spreading false rumors about her and that she’d also considered killing her mother and siblings.
The friend gave the shooter a ride to his house where they talked about the girl's state of mind. She asked where the friend’s parents’ gun safe was located. With an ax and a crowbar, they pried open the safe door.
The two students drove back to the school armed with several handguns, a rifle and ammunition.
Both friends covered the doors to a specific classroom. When the boy saw the girl grab her weapon he grabbed his, bursting into the room wielding the weapon and yelled for everyone to get down. Two students charged and tackled the boy, causing his gun to fire—one of those brave students lost his life in his attempt to protect his classmates.
The court determined the younger student (the primary shooter) would be tried as an adult. Charged with multiple offenses, the younger student agreed to plead guilty to first-degree murder and 16 other counts.
At the sentencing, the school shooter said,
“I killed their innocence. I killed their ambitions. And I killed their sense of security. I not only physically killed people, I mentally killed people too. I don't know how to describe the sorrow I feel when I think of the victims.”
The judge sentenced her to LIFE in prison with the possibility of parole. #schoolshooter #schoolshooting
Worth Mentioning: The friend who the students tackled pleaded not guilty. His trial is postponed. I’ll do a follow-up on this case after he’s been sentenced.
Be sure to email me if you hear of a true-crime you think would be good in a book. I’ll research it, share it and possibly use it one of my novels.
Source: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, CBS 4 Denver, CBS New 9, The Denver Post, ABC News