DENVER — Denver police were responding to a shooting outside East High School on Wednesday morning and said there were two adult victims — faculty members — and that a suspect had left the school.
Denver Public Schools spokeswoman Rachel Childress confirmed the victims were two faculty members and that they’d been shot “near East Campus.”
Police said they had been transported to area hospitals. No information was available on the condition of the adults.
Wednesday’s shooting comes less than six weeks after a 16-year-old East student was shot in his car outside the school; he died two weeks later.
The police said in a Twitter posting shortly after 10 a.m. that they were working to gather information. A large police presence was expected in the area east of downtown Denver.
Denver Public Schools tweeted that East High was on lockdown. “All students are in their third-period classrooms,” the district wrote on Twitter. “We are holding them there until further notice.”
DPS officials around 10:30 a.m. announced “we will be doing a controlled release once DPD allows” and that parents can pick up their children at 17th Avenue and Esplanade. “Students who drove will be escorted to their cars in the parking lot and can leave. Students who ride the bus will be held until their bus arrives,” a DPS Twitter posting said.
Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators announced they were at the scene, and referred queries to Denver police.
In recent weeks, students at East have spoken out about no longer feeling safe on campus after their classmate's fatal shooting.
Luis Garcia, a junior, was sitting in his car near East when he was shot on Feb. 13. The 16-year-old died more than two weeks later, on March 1, from his injuries.
Since then, students have called on Denver Public Schools to respond more aggressively to the threat of violence. Earlier this month, they also walked out of their classrooms and to the Colorado State Capitol to advocate for gun legislation and safer schools.
Students have said that after the February shooting, they experienced multiple lockdowns and other alerts. A weapon was found on campus the day after students returned to class.
East also has received false reports of threats twice since the school year began in the fall.
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