EVERGREEN, Colo. – Shaken parents rushed to a reunification center Wednesday afternoon for any word on the condition of their children following a shooting at Evergreen High School that injured three students, including the suspected shooter.
Two students were critically injured and the third suffered non-life threatning injuries.
All three juveniles were transported to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Health Center in Lakewood as Jeffco Public Schools works to contact stunned families.
Denver7 news reporter Veronica Acosta has been talking to students and parents at the reunification center at Bergen Meadow Elementary who shared what they heard and saw as the shooting unfolded.
An Evergreen High School freshman told Denver7 he was outside on campus when he heard popping noises and tried to get inside as soon as possible.
“It was just a lot. I walked outside the gym and heard shots. Multiple shots kept firing,” said Tye, a freshman. “Just loud pops and at first, I didn't think it was anything – I just heard it repeatedly and it kept shooting and then I knew it was shots.”
He said his phone was broken and he was unable to text his parents. Tye’s father told Denver7 he tried to get any news he could on the shooting.
“Information started pouring in and you’re just terrified, like ‘oh my gosh – is he okay?’ You just wait and hope for the best – contact other parents to see if they’ve heard anything,” said Tye’s father.
Denver7 reporter Acosta saw at least 6 school buses with students who were to be reunited with their families. Denver7 also spoke to student Brenner Johnson and his mother Shannon Taylor, who rushed to the school.
- You can watch their interview in the video player below.
“There was a message over the intercom and they basically just said that like they were going into lockdown. I was in the nurse's office right before it happened, so I heard the walkie talkies before too,” said Brenner.
His mom, holding back tears, said she was overwhelmed when she saw a text message come through from Brenner that he was okay.
“It's really scary. We got here as soon as we could and the staff was amazing at letting me in and getting me to him and then they told me they could let me in,” said Shannon. “They couldn't let me leave because he was in the nurse's office. So I just stayed for a while with him, instead of staying to see these teachers. Their broken hearts. They're doing the best they can.”
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She told Denver7 her father was a first responder at the Columbine tragedy in 1999 and Brenner had been homeschooled until recently. This is his first year at Evergreen Middle School, she said.
Describing what she saw after rushing to the school, Evergreen High School parent Victoria Hutchen told Denver7 the road leading up to the campus was littered with backpacks and water bottles as students fled the shooter during the chaos.
The photo below shows a few of the items she picked up for safekeeping
Evergreen High School sophomore Charlie Hutchen was in the cafeteria when he heard a commotion before the sound of gunshots.
“One of my friends – he was like ‘everyone be quiet’ and we actually heard the (lockdown) announcement,” said Hutchen. “While we were running, we just heard two shots.”
He said they ran outside onto a neighborhood dirt road.
“Kids dropping their backpacks and everything. I never thought this would happen at our school.”Fellow EHS sophomore Jax Schraad said the shots sounded close to their location.
“We ran – there was another shot behind us and that was like, really made people scream. I cut over a bunch of hills, because i think a lot of people are going to the police station,” said Schraad. “I banged on this guy’s house. I started banging, I started kicking it, and he opened the door.”
Law enforcement said they had completed a room-by-room check of the school and no other suspects or devices were believed to have been involved.
This story will be updated as we hear from more students and parents.
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