The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) alerted the FBI in July about troubling social media posts that have since been tied to the Evergreen High School shooter. The information, however, did not include the suspect’s identity or location, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the case.
The ADL is a watchdog group that tracks hate speech and extremist activity online. The tip they provided to the FBI reported disturbing online discussions about carrying out a mass shooting. The FBI confirmed it opened an assessment based on the information but was unable to identify the account holder before last week’s school shooting.
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FBI’s assessment
The FBI told local media its New York field office launched an investigation in July into a social media account that referenced planning a shooting. Agents pursued leads to try to determine who was behind the posts, and the investigation was active on the day of the shooting.
“During the assessment investigation, the identity of the account user remained unknown, and thus there was no probable cause for arrest or additional law enforcement action at the federal level,” the agency said. The FBI added that it reviews all tips and takes action when credible information is found.
ADL confirms tip sent to FBI
Oren Segal, senior vice president of counterextremism and intelligence at the ADL, confirmed that his organization provided profiles to law enforcement over the summer.
“The ADL Center on Extremism regularly shares alerts and updates with law enforcement,” Segal said. “We shared profiles and activity at the time with law enforcement for actions they deemed necessary based on what was available.”
Segal noted that investigators later determined those profiles were connected to the 16-year-old responsible for the Evergreen shooting.
Shooter’s online trail
Authorities identified the gunman as Desmond Holly, a student at Evergreen High School. Investigators say he consumed and reposted antisemitic and white supremacist content on social media.
A review by The Colorado Sun found that Holly shared posts referencing the 1999 Columbine massacre and posed wearing a shirt similar to one worn by the Columbine shooter. Days before the Evergreen shooting, an account linked to him displayed a revolver and ammunition, with one caption reading, “little .38 special I got.”
Roughly an hour before the attack, the same account shared another photo of the gun and ammunition.
On Wednesday, Holly opened fire inside Evergreen High School with a revolver, critically wounding two students. Witnesses say he reloaded multiple times before turning the weapon on himself as officers arrived. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said Holly appeared to have been “radicalized through an extremist network” before carrying out the shooting.
