EVERGREEN, Colo. — Days after a student opened fire at Evergreen High School, seriously wounding two of his peers before turning the gun on himself, the community arranged a day for the teenagers, aimed at finding joy while processing the shared trauma.
The two students who were shot on Sept. 10 are still hospitalized as of Monday evening. One of the victims was identified as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone, while information on the second victim has not been released.
The 16-year-old shooter died by suicide. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, he had become radicalized and brought "quite a bit of ammunition" to the school on the day of the shooting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was investigating social media accounts connected to the shooter two months before the attack, a FBI spokesperson confirmed Monday. However, the agency could not identify who was behind those accounts until the shooting.
"To be in a situation, as a 15 and 17-year-old, to come to grips with the fact that they felt like they were going to die, I cannot imagine at that age," said Kelli Jones, thinking of her two teenage children who are students at Evergreen High School. "To have that at a young age, to know that they're not safe anywhere because school was safe, is very tragic."
Evergreen High School has not returned to class following the shooting. A letter from the principal to the school community detailed a survey that will be sent to all students on Wednesday, which must be completed by Friday morning. By Sunday, the goal is to release a video message from the principal outlining the plan to return to school.
In place of school, community leaders wanted to do something to help support the students. They organized a day at Evergreen Lake House, complete with games and therapy animals, giving the teenagers a place to socialize and have some fun.
"The community has really circled the wagons for these kids, and we have free food, and we have goats, and we have puppies, and we have horses, and we have art, and we have outdoor games," said Krista Emrich, the manager at Evergreen Lake House. "Nothing structured at all. It was open to everyone, and it's just a place for them to be together."
Klair Funderburgh supervises the staff at the Evergreen Lake House, many of whom are high school students.
"They have been missing each other. They've been missing the normalcy of being together and just kind of hanging out without adults in their face," said Funderburgh. "There's no therapist here today. There's nothing like that. It's just about getting the kids out of the house, getting them somewhere where they're safe."
That sense of support and safety is something parents like Jones believe is critical at a time like this.
"Evergreen is a very tight-knit community. We support each other. We're there for each other," Jones said. "We come together, put any conflicts aside, and are there for one another... It makes me feel like my family's extended, that this is a wonderful place to be. Never thought this would happen, but now that it has, I couldn't ask for a better community."
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the school had a full-time school resource officer (SRO), but they were on medical leave at the time of the shooting. To fill in the gap, Evergreen High has been utilizing part-time SROs.
Evergreen High School PTA president Cindy Mazeika said they learned about the SRO change one day before the shooting.
Following concerns from parents, deputies with the sheriff’s office confirmed to Denver7 on Monday that the school will have a full-time SRO on campus.
Emrich told Denver7 there was a prayer vigil scheduled for later in the evening, along with other events throughout the week. One of those events, if the weather cooperates on Friday, is getting the students out on the water to paddleboard, kayak, or canoe.
