JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The parents of the Evergreen High School shooter who injured two of his classmates before turning the gun on himself back in September won’t face any charges in connection with the attack, officials from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
The announcement comes after a monthslong investigation by the sheriff’s office to figure out not only what motivated the 16-year-old shooter to attack the school that day, but how he obtained the weapon in the first place.
Deputies said they unable to speak with the shooter's parents, which hindered their ability to find out how the shooter gained access to the firearm and trace the weapon's history.
It was only after receiving a letter from the family’s attorney on Jan. 23 that the lead investigator found out the firearm — a Smith & Wesson .38 Special Revolver — was owned by one of the shooter's grandparents and that the gun was “rarely seen or used and stored out of sight." The family's attorney told deputies the shooter “did not have access to the safe, except for brief moments when it was opened by his father.”
DNA analysis on the weapon, which was originally purchased in Florida in 1966, did not match DNA samples taken from the shooter's parents, deputies said.
“Ultimately, investigators determined there was insufficient evidence to establish probable cause or meet the legal elements required to present the case to the District Attorney for charges,” they wrote in a news release Wednesday.
“The JCSO acknowledges that this was not the outcome many in our community hoped for. In the wake of this tragic event, we remained fully committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation, guided by the facts and the law,” officials said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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