LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Staff at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital had about 5 to 10 minutes to prepare for incoming students who were hurt in the Evergreen High School shooting Wednesday afternoon, according to the hospital's trauma medical director Dr. Brian Blackwood.
St. Anthony is the closest level-one trauma center to Evergreen High School. Just a couple weeks ago, the hospital said staff trained for a shooting like this.
"We did a large active shooter drill where we had multiple double digit patients theoretically present themselves. And it's a way of practicing the stress that the hospital would go from normal daily life to all sudden, a lot of patients are coming in very quickly," Dr. Blackwood said.
One student hurt in Wednesday's school shooting remains hospitalized at St. Anthony in critical condition Thursday morning, according to Dr. Blackwood. Another student was taken to another facility and is expected to recover. The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In a statement to Denver7, Children's Hospital Colorado confirmed they're treating the other victim.
"Children's Hospital Colorado is caring for one victim of the Evergreen High School shooting. The patient is currently in critical condition. At this time, we are not offering interviews regarding the patient’s status or treatment. For additional information, please reach out to Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office."
"When there's minors involved, there's gonna be different emotions involved. But our staff trains really well to take care of patients, no matter what the occasion, so I felt like we were really well prepared for this," Dr. Blackwood said.
He couldn't provide any specific details about the condition of each patient and their injuries.
- Watch the full interview with Dr. Blackwood Thursday morning, in the video player below:
*Editor's Note: Authorities said they initially thought a fourth person may have been injured in connection with the shooting, but no longer believe that is the case.
Denver7 will continue following this incident and provide updates as we learn more. You can visit denver7.com for the latest information. To read our previous coverage, visit the articles below:
- Evergreen High School student dies after shooting two peers and himself
- Law enforcement conducts search of Evergreen High School shooter's home | Denver7 Investigates
- Jeffco Public Schools cancels Thursday classes for Evergreen, Conifer schools following shooting
- ‘Just loud pops’: Students, parents describe Evergreen High School shooting
- 'Keep running!': Ring doorbell camera captures students fleeing from Evergreen High School shooting
- Colorado lawmakers respond to Evergreen High School shooting. Here's what they had to say.
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