Colorado School Shooting Suspect Appears In Court: Watch

HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO — Devon Erickson, one of two Highlands Ranch students held in a school shooting that killed one student and injured eight others, made an initial appearance in Douglas County District Court Wednesday. The 18-year-old Erickson, his long hair dyed with a purple streak, kept his head down and did not speak during the hearing.

A second suspect in Tuesday's mass shooting, identified by authorities as juvenile Maya Elizabeth McKinney, also appeared in juvenile court.

George Brauchler, 18th Judicial District Attorney, asked that Erickson be held on no bond in the Douglas County jail until charges could be filed against him on Friday. Brauchler also asked that the file in his case be temporarily sealed.

Earlier Wednesday, the Douglas County Sheriff identified 18-year-old Kendrick Ray Castillo as the student killed in the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch. Kendrick, who participated on the robotics team, would have had his last day of school Friday and was set to graduate.

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“I want people to know about him,” the victim's father, John Castillo, said through tears during an interview.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has asked that all flags be lowered in honor of Castillo and the other wounded shooting victims. In a tweet Tuesday, the governor said "the heart of all Colorado is with the victims & their families.

The attack occurred around 2 p.m. Tuesday at the charter school that serves about 1,850 students in grades kindergarten through 12. The school will be closed for the remainder of the week, Douglas County School District Superintendent Thomas S. Tucker said in a statement.

A crisis center for families was open Wednesday at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 9203 S. University Blvd., Highlands Ranch.

Sheriff Tony Spurlock said Wednesday morning the juvenile suspect was originally identified to the public as male, but is, in fact, female.

Both Erickson and the other accused shooter were taken into custody by sheriff's deputies responding to reports of shots fired at the school. Neither was injured. Both used handguns to fire on fellow students, Spurlock said.

The sheriff declined to identify a motive for the shootings, saying the case was still under investigation. News station KMGH reported Tuesday night that unnamed law enforcement sources said the shooting "involved revenge and anger towards others at the school." A rifle was also recovered, the station reported.

The sheriff's office said on Twitter Wednesday that it is seeking information from the public about the shooting and the suspects. Tips may be left on the Major Crimes Tip Line at (303) 660-7597.

Brauchler, the district attorney, asked the press to adopt a "no notoriety policy" about the shooters. He said he was a longtime Douglas County resident with four children in the school system.

"This is not who we are," Brauchler said.

Polis said as a father of two children he was "heartbroken" for the victims and that "we owe a debt of gratitude to our first responders."

Spurlock said Tuesday the suspects were armed with handguns and entered STEM School Highlands Ranch through the northeast doorway into the middle school, but attacked in two high school classrooms.

Spurlock said law enforcement officers were inside the school within two minutes of a 911 call. An armed private security guard responded to the scene and helped disarm at least one of the shooters. No staff members or teachers were injured.

"I have to believe the quick response of officers that got inside this school helped save lives," Spurlock said Tuesday.

No update was given the status of the gunshot victims. On Tuesday evening, Spurlock said three of the victims were in critical condition and were going into surgery. Another victim was in good condition at Children's Hospitals, and two other victims were taken to Sky Ridge Medical Center.

The FBI took the lead in the investigation of the crime scene, Spurlock said.

The attack occurred within weeks of the 20th anniversary of the deadly April 20, 1999, massacre at Columbine High School, which is about 7 miles away from STEM School Highlands Ranch. Coloradans were already on edge after the FBI warned last month that Sol Pais, a Florida teenager "obsessed" with Columbine posed a credible threat to Denver-area chools. She flew to Denver and bought a shotgun, triggering a massive manhunt. Pais was found dead, and authorities ruled her death a suicide.

Witnesses told KMGH they feared the worst after hearing gunshots coming from the Highlands Ranch school. A child said in an interview that he fled from the school from a middle school study hall.

Sixth-grader Christian Paulson told the station he heard "a bunch of kids running out and saying 'school shooter, school shooter!' "

"And I'm like, what? Is this real or fake? And then I just went after them," the boy said. "And apparently, this is all real. And I tried to run with my life, but I'm out of breath."

On Tuesday afternoon, frightened parents rushed to the Northridge Recreation Center, 8800 S. Broadway, to pick up their children, the sheriff's office said. Parents were sorted into groups alphabetically by last name so they could be reunited with their children, The Denver Post reported. Some of them in tears, the parents were frantically checking their cellphones for messages from their children.

“I’m just trying not to vomit or cry,” one mother told The Post.

Among the relieved parents was Brian Jones, whose son Asher is a second-grader at the school. He waited for about an hour until he saw his son and classmates leave the school.

“It’s nerve-wracking,” Jones told the newspaper. “There were lots of parents and lots of kids crying."