Colorado School Shooting: Charges Filed Against Suspects

CASTLE ROCK, CO — Authorities have charged the two students accused of opening fire in the mass shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.

According to The Colorado Springs Gazette, Devon Erickson, 18, is charged with 48 criminal offenses, including first degree murder after deliberation. The juvenile accused in the shooting, 16-year-old Elizabeth McKinney, has been charged as an adult, the Gazette reported.

The mass shooting on May 7 left one student dead and wounded eight others.

Erickson and McKinney appeared in court to face dozens of criminal charges that include murder, attempted murder, arson and theft.

While court documents are sealed, the charges against the teenagers were listed in electronic court records. Prosecutors said both will be tried as adults. McKinney's attorney, Ara Ohanian, said he would seek to move McKinney's case back to juvenile court.

Judge Theresa Slade denied the prosecution's request to make some of the documents public but said she would address the issue at the next hearing on June 7.

Erickson appeared more involved in Wednesday's proceedings compared with his initial court appearance last week. His face was visible, and he looked forward toward the judge while attorneys discussed the case.

He wore a jail uniform and was kept shackled at his wrists and ankles after the judge denied a request to remove them.

McKinney appeared in court after Erickson. He glanced back several times during the hearing toward the bench where his mother was sitting.

The father of victim Kendrick Castillo, 18, stared at both defendants during their hearings.

"It would have been easy for them to say, 'I'm not going to make it to court today because in less than two hours we're going to have a memorial service for our son,'" District Attorney George Brauchler said of Castillo's parents John and Maria. "But from the word go they have made it clear that our intention is to be here for every single hearing."

Brauchler also revealed that he has asked an outside prosecutor to investigate whether charges should be filed against a private security guard who has been credited with apprehending one of the suspects in a hallway.

Brauchler did not explain why the security guard would face charges. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press last week that the guard, a former Marine who has not been named, fired his weapon during the shooting.

Two news organizations citing anonymous sources reported that authorities are investigating whether the guard mistakenly fired at a responding sheriff's deputy and may have wounded a student.

Brauchler did not directly address those reports.

"This is a witness in the case, and I felt like in the abundance of caution that a decision about the facts related to the security guard needed to be addressed by a separate prosecutor," Brauchler said.

The security guard's attorney, Robert Burk, said last week that his client acted to protect the children at the school. Burk did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Wednesday.

Castillo and classmates Brendan Bialy and Joshua Jones were credited with helping minimize the bloodshed by charging at one of the suspects in a classroom.

According to Bialy, Castillo sprang into action against the shooter "and immediately was on top of him with complete disregard for his own safety." Jones said he was shot twice in the leg during the ordeal. Bialy said he was able to take the attacker's weapon.

Jones, 18, said Tuesday that he is recovering quickly from his wounds, but said emotionally he's "still in a bit of a funk."

All of the wounded students have been released from hospitals.

The shooting happened nearly three weeks after the neighboring town of Littleton marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School attack that killed 13 people. The two schools are separated by about 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Denver.

Later Wednesday, at 1 p.m., more than 2,000 people attended a celebration of life for slain STEM School student Kendrick Castillo, 18 at a Highlands Ranch church, who died after being shot at point blank range trying to disarm one of the student shooters in an English class. Castillo's classmates credited him for saving their lives. The memorial service took place at Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd. and was open to the public.

Last weekend, the Colorado School of Mines established the Kendrick Castillo Scholarship in his honor.

An account for donations to the Castillo family was set up through Wells Fargo Bank, the Douglas County Sheriff's office said.

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Although documents about the investigation are sealed, news sources reported last week that the Douglas County School Board had received parent complaints in December, 2018 about the "pressure cooker" environment at the school from a parent who alleged that students were suicidal and violent, illegal drug use was rampant and the school could become "the next Columbine."

The two teens are accused of shooting classmates in two separate classrooms, using handguns they were not legally old enough to acquire, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said. KMGH reported last week that inside sources said the shooters may have stolen the handguns from Erickson's parents. Colorado residents are not allowed to buy handguns under age 21.

ABC News reported last week that high-ranking sources close to the investigation said authorities are trying to find out if, amid the confusion, a private security guard assigned to the school may have mistakenly fired at a deputy and wounded a student accidentally. KMGH, the Denver ABC affiliate, said it received similar reports from a source close to the investigation.

Last week, Fox31 reported that investigators said off-the-record that the two students may have tried to set fire to Erickson's home, where he lives with his family, before going to the school. Accelerant was found in the home, but the fire did not do much damage, the report said

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The two accused shooters appeared in Douglas County District Court May 8, where Judge Theresa Slade agreed to temporarily seal both arrest affidavits. Both accused students are being held with no bond, Erickson at the Douglas County jail and McKinney at the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center in Englewood, according to the Denver Post.

A vigil held May 8 night nearby at Highlands Ranch High School turned chaotic and emotional after STEM School students marched out following statements from U.S. Congressman Jason Crow and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who is running for president in 2020. The vigil was organized by Enough Colorado and March for Our Lives, but students complained the event was "politicized." Students finally took the microphone and made their voices heard.

Spurlock, the Douglas County sheriff, said a call was received at around 2 p.m. on May 7 at the charter school with about 1,850 students in grades kindergarten through 12. Sheriff's deputies responded within two minutes to the school, Spurlock said. The two suspects were taken into custody without injury.

No motive has been given for the shooting, but KMGH reported Tuesday night that unnamed law enforcement sources said the shooting "involved revenge and anger towards others at the school." Along with handguns, a rifle was also recovered, the station reported.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.