Suspect killed, two injured, in shooting at Colorado high school

A male student suspected of a shooting at a suburban high school in Colorado died of self-inflicted injuries Wednesday night, local time.

The shooting took place just before 12.30 pm on the grounds of Evergreen High School in Evergreen, about 50km southwest of Denver.

Evergreen High School is part of the Jefferson Public School District, which also includes Columbine High School, the site of a school shooting in 1999 that was one of the deadliest in the US at the time.

“We cannot pretend this is just another tragic incident,” Tracy Dorland, the Jefferson Public School District’s superintendent, said.

‘“The pain of this incident reopens old wounds.”

The suspect’s death was confirmed by the sheriff’s office. Two other students were critically injured by gunfire and taken to hospital along with the suspect, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Jacki Kelley, said.

One of the victims was in stable condition and transferred to another hospital, according to Lindsay Radford, a hospital spokesperson said.

The other victim was still in critical condition,

The shooter used a revolver in the attack, Kelley said at a news conference, adding that the shooting had occurred both inside and outside the school.

“Law enforcement did not fire a weapon today,” she said.

Kelley said that there were reports that a fourth person had also been transported to the hospital with injuries, but that could not be verified

The motive for the shooting, what led up to the attack and whether the victims and the suspect knew one another were all under investigation. The police are looking at the shooter’s home, school locker and car as they search for a possible motive, Ms Kelley said.

Reggie Marinelli, the Jefferson County sheriff, said it was a “tragic day.”

“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this senseless shooting,” he said.

Many students were inside the school and witnessed the shooting, Ms Kelley said.

“This is the scariest thing,” Kelley said.

“These parents were really frightened, and so were the kids. I know we always say not again, but here we are.”

At 12.31 pm Lisa Marie Schwartz received a text message from her daughter, Sophie Claire Mulso, a senior at Evergreen, telling her that the school was on lockdown.

Sophie wrote in a message: “someone just shot up the school mom.” And she added: “im so scared mom.”

Schwartz anxiously texted her daughter, asking whether she could come and get her and trying to figure out where she was. In another text, Sophie updated her mother, saying “i started running.”

According to Ms Schwartz, Sophie, 17, who was heading out for lunch when the attack occurred, escaped through the school’s front doors and ran until she reached a road where a friend picked her up.

The ordeal “made me vomit,” Ms Schwartz said.

“I had no control,” she said. “There was nothing I could do.”

She added: “It’s debilitating to not have any control over your child and the situation.”

Agents from the FBI and the Denver division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the shooting, as did numerous law enforcement officers from agencies in the area.

Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado said on social media that state troopers were assisting.

“Students should be able to attend school safely and without fear across our state and nation,” he said. “We are all praying for the victims and the entire community.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.