At least one student is dead and more than half a dozen others were injured after a school shooting at a Denver suburb on Tuesday, police said.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Twitter that one student, an 18-year-old male, had died.
Police previously said that eight students had been injured and two suspects were in custody following the shooting.{mosads}
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said during a news conference that several of the injured students were in critical condition at area hospitals.
The sheriff said that the two suspects were students, with one believed to be an adult male and the other a juvenile.
“Tragically, this community and those surrounding it know all too well these hateful and horrible acts of violence. The White House has been in communication with state and local officials, and the President has been briefed and continues to monitor the ongoing situation. We offer our full support to local law enforcement and first responders and thank them for their heroism,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in the statement.
The local sheriff’s office initially reported an “active and unstable scene” at STEM School Highlands Ranch, a charter school about half an hour from Denver in the Highlands Ranch suburb.
The sheriff’s office instructed people to stay away from the school because of police activity, with SWAT clearing the school. Authorities asked parents to pick up their children from a nearby recreation center because of congestion.
The SWAT team was on the scene as well as “a variety of other agencies,” according to law enforcement. While the school has a resource officer, law enforcement could not confirm whether they were present during the shooting.
“We are making all of our public safety resources available to assist the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department in their effort to secure the site and evacuate the students,” Gov. Jared Polis (D) said in a statement.
Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R) added that he was “closely monitoring” the situation.
The shooting comes weeks after an alleged threat by a Florida teenager shut down schools in the Denver area, forcing thousands of students to stay home for a day as a precaution. The 18-year-old woman was later found dead in an apparent suicide, police said.
Authorities said that the teenager was obsessed with the Columbine school shooting and that the decision to shut down schools was prompted by a “credible threat.” Last month marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, which left 12 high school students and a teacher dead.
This breaking news story was last updated at 8:58 p.m.