Editor's note: Authorities said Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. that a body was found in Park County near the vehicle the shooting suspect was associated with. The identity of the person has not been confirmed. Click here for more.
A parent of an East High School student who spoke to Denver7 in the wake of a shooting that injured two deans at the school voiced frustration with a string of violence at East.
Both injured faculty members were taken to a hospital. One was in surgery and the other was able to speak at the hospital. The suspect is a student who was on a safety plan at the school that included him being searched at the beginning of each day.
Here is everything we know about the shooting.
The parent, Steve, whose son is a sophomore at East, expressed concern with a series of recent incidents at the school: A September shooting at the nearby Carla Madison Recreation Center that injured a junior at the school, a “swatting” incident just days later, and the February shooting that ultimately took the life of East High student Luis Garcia.
“The Denver School Board is failing us. And it's really a problem,” the parent said. “How much more is it going to take before people start realizing this place is a ticking time bomb?”
A grandparent that spoke to Denver7 said the removal of school resource officers at Denver Public School (DPS) campuses has left families in an uncomfortable situation.
“I’m very upset. We, as a society, are not doing enough,” she said. “We don’t have any police in the school. There’s no metal detectors. I’m tired of hearing there’s no money for that. Don’t tell me that we don’t have money for that. It’s our kids' safety we are talking about... How much emotional trauma must our children take in this day and age?”
Steve said the removal of resource officers and the district’s “discipline ladder” have both contributed to “a really bad situation” at East.
“Things have to improve from a student's [and a teacher’s] perspective,” he said. “They're constantly interrupted by lockdowns and SWAT officers. How are they supposed to be in a frame of mind to absorb this information? And for all the disruptors that are in the school, that could be addressed through disciplinary actions.”
Denver
Denver Public Schools students push for return of school resource officers
A mom that spoke to Denver7 outside of the school said her son is scared after the recent violence, and that its left them searching for answers – especially following a school-wide walkout earlier this month in protest of gun violence in the wake of Garcia's death.
“I’m pissed. I’m very mad. These kids spent so much time and energy protesting. I was there with them," she said. "So much time and energy remembering Luis’s loss. Why is it landing nowhere? Nothing is being done. My son is breaking down. He’s saying he doesn't want to die."
"It’s just ugly. He’s scared. He doesn’t want to show it."
The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting was identified as 17-year-old Austin Lyle. He was still at large Wednesday afternoon.