Two school administrators are fighting for their lives following a shooting at a US high school on Wednesday morning after a handgun was found during a search of a student, authorities said.
The 'armed and dangerous' suspect, a teenage boy, remains at large and the gun was not immediately recovered following the shooting at East High School, Denver, Police Chief Ron Thomas said.
Police identified the boy as Austin Lyle, 17. He is described as a Black male standing 5 feet, 5 inches and weighing about 150 pounds.
He was wearing a green hoodie at the time and may be driving a 2005 red Volvo XC90 with license plate number BSC-W10
The shooting happened at around 10am local time (4 pm GMT) in an area away from classrooms as the student was undergoing a daily search, which was part of a “safety plan,” officials said.
The student arrived at the school and the two adult faculty members, who officials said were deans, began the regular search.
As soon as they found the gun on him, Lyle allegedly shot them both and fled the scene.
The two victims were rushed to the hospital. One of them was critically injured and is undergoing surgery, while the second victim was in stable condition, Thomas said.
"He obviously is armed and dangerous and willing to use the weapon, as we’ve learned this morning,” said Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, warning the community as they search for the suspect.
Police executed a warrant to search his residence.
Earlier this month students from the school skipped class and marched to Colorado’s state Capitol to demand stricter gun laws, following the death of a fellow student who was shot while sitting in a car near the school.
The suspect in Wednesday's shooting had transferred to East High School from another district, Denver Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said.
Officials did not reveal why the student was subject to daily searches, however, they announced plans for two police officers to be inside East High for the remainder of the year.
The school, not far from downtown near a busy street that cuts through the city, was placed on lockdown as police investigated the shooting.
Denver Public School confirmed the victims were administrators. Hundreds of parents lined up along a road near the school, with the scene sealed off by police.
Mayor Hancock said in a statement following the incident: "Another act of senseless gun violence rocked the East High School community this morning and my heart is with each and every student, staff member and parent.
"Our schools should be free from violence. Period. Parents are angry and frustrated, and they have a right to be. Easy access to guns must be addressed in our country -Denver cannot do this alone.
"There are common sense proposals at the Legislature and in Congress right now - they must be passed. It's also time to return School Resource Officers in our schools.
"Removing them was a mistake and we must move swiftly to correct it. We're ready to work with DPS, and we all have to step up as a community and be part of the solution."
Wednesday was the second anniversary of 10 people being shot and killed at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
