1 dead, 8 hurt in Denver school shooting, 2 in custody

Two students opened fire Tuesday inside a charter school in an affluent suburb of Denver not far from Columbine High School, killing a teenager, wounding eight and spreading terror before they were taken into custody, authorities said.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the pair walked into the STEM School Highlands Ranch and began shooting students in two classrooms.

Within minutes, deputies at a nearby sheriff’s department substation entered the school and arrested the two suspects after a struggle.

“As officers were arriving at the school, they could still hear gunshots,” Douglas County Undersheriff Holly Nicholson-Kluth said. 

Authorities did not release the name of the student who died, but said it was an 18-year-old male.

“I have to believe that the quick response of the officers that got inside that school helped save lives,” Spurlock said.

He did not identify the suspects, but said they were not previously known to authorities. Authorities planned to search their homes and a vehicle at the school, he said.

The shooting comes nearly three weeks after neighboring Littleton marked the grim 20th anniversary of the Columbine school massacre that killed 13 people. The two schools are separated by about 7 miles in adjacent communities south of Denver.

"Tragically, this community and those surrounding it know all too well these hateful and horrible acts of violence," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting and was in touch with state and local officials, Deere said.

The STEM School Highlands Ranch is a public charter school with more than 1,850 students in kindergarten through 12th grades.