Police identified the person they said shot two of his classmates before shooting himself on Wednesday at a high school near Denver, Colorado. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office identified Desmond Holly, a 16-year-old student at Evergreen High School, as the shooter on Thursday afternoon.
The Evergreen High School shooter has been identified as 16 year-old Desmond Holly. pic.twitter.com/h0tXtrUYvj
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) September 11, 2025
The teenager suspected of opening fire on two classmates on campus died several hours after the attack at a nearby hospital. The incident happened just before 12:30 p.m. local time at Evergreen High School, about 30 miles west of Denver.
Authorities rushed three students, including the suspected shooter, to the hospital in critical condition. However, the gunman later died.
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“The male suspect responsible for the shootings at Evergreen High School today has died from his self-inflicted injuries,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on X Wednesday night.
A hospital spokesperson confirmed to Straight Arrow News that one victim remains in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon. The spokesperson said the other victim was stable and moved to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. Officials have not released the ages or identities of either victim.
The shooting
It’s unclear what led to the shooting. However, the sheriff’s spokesperson said shots rang out both inside and outside of the school building. Deputies said they reached the shooter within five minutes, and no officers fired their weapons.
The school, primarily surrounded by forest, has a student population of more than 900. It is about a mile from the center of the city, which has a population of 9,300.
According to the sheriff’s spokesperson, more than 100 police officers from the area responded to the shooting.
Students flee to local home
According to the NBC affiliate in Denver, 9NEWS, 18 students who fled from the school went to a nearby home to take shelter. They pounded on the door asking for help after hearing gunshots while in the school’s cafeteria.
The homeowner, Don Cygan, a retired educator with lockdown training, and his wife, a retired nurse, were there to help calm students down. Cygan took down the names of each student and their parents.
“I hope they feel like they ran to the right house,” he told 9NEWS.
The shooting occurred in the same county where 13 people were killed in the 1999 Columbine massacre. It was a tragedy that rocked the nation and forever changed how schools and law enforcement prepare for mass shootings.
