The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) released a statement on Tuesday to provide the public with more information about the shooting that occurred at Evergreen High School (EHS) on September 10. The department said that while the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and there are “limited details” that can be released, they wanted to provide “a little more clarity” to the public about what happened on the day of the shooting.
The first JCSO deputy was dispatched shortly after calls began coming in about the incident at around 12:24 p.m., and JCSO said that deputies arrived on scene within two-and-a-half minutes. During those minutes, the department said that the shooter, who has been elsewhere identified as 16-year-old EHS student Desmond Holly, fired multiple rounds inside the school, which injured one student. Then, Holly left the building, crossed the football field, and shot another student at the corner of South Olive Road and Buffalo Park Road.
Two students total were reportedly injured during the shooting, including 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone and another unnamed victim. Both victims were in critical condition after the shooting.
Deputies located and confronted Holly outside the building. Holly then died by suicide.
The JCSO confirmed that there was only one shooter involved in the incident and that approximately 20 rounds were fired.
“Our hearts are heavy for the two students who were wounded and for the trauma this community will carry long after today,” the department said. “At the same time, we are deeply grateful for the courage and calm shown by Evergreen High School students, teachers, administrators, and staff. Their training, quick thinking, and resilience helped prevent an even greater tragedy.”
The department said that the safety protocols and lockdown procedures done by school staff and students inside the school “undoubtedly saved lives.”
In its news release, the JCSO said that federal studies have shown that “many” active-shooter events end in five minutes or less. The average timespan for school shootings is closer to 10–12 minutes. The EHS shooting event lasted nine minutes, according to the department.
EHS did not have a school resource officer (SRO) on school grounds during the incident. According to 9News, the high school “operated without a full-time SRO for 11 months” before the shooting occurred.
During an EHS Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) meeting that occurred on September 9, just one day before the shooting, a parent asked why EHS did not have an SRO on campus. The meeting minutes show that EHS Principal Skyler Artes said that “the mountain schools have been deprioritized and resources are shared to the point we have one [SRO] across the community for many schools.”
During the meeting, the meeting minutes show that a parent asked “what happens if we have a shooter?” Principal Artes said during the meeting that parents “need to go to the school board meeting and speak up to request an SRO.”
