The student who was accused of shooting and wounding two faculty members at his Denver high school has been found dead near his vehicle in Park County.
The Park County Coroners Office confirmed in a Facebook post that the body belonged to 17-year-old Austin Lyle, who shot faculty members as they were patting him down for weapons as part of a “safety plan” devised for the youth based on previous behavioural issues.
The East High School student fled the shooting scene on foot immediately after Wednesday’s violence.
Denver Police Department said in a tweet a body was found near the suspect’s vehicle, adding the identity and cause of death would be determined by the Park County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Student searched at beginning of each school day
“This particular student had a safety plan that was in place where they were to be searched at the beginning of the school day every day,” Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas told reporters.
Neither police nor education authorities disclosed the specific conduct that led the school to adopt an individualised security protocol for the student.
A wanted bulletin issued after the shooting included a photo of the student and of a car similar to one he might be driving.
The dean of the school and other staff members were conducting the search when several shots were fired, and the student fled, apparently still armed with the handgun used in the attack.
The two victims were taken to an area hospital where one was listed in critical condition and undergoing surgery, and the other was in serious but stable condition, Thomas said.
Denver stopped assigning armed officers to schools
The bloodshed came three years after the Denver school board voted to eliminate its program of assigning armed city police officers, known as school resources officers, to its public school campuses, relying instead on the school district’s own security team.
In light of Wednesday’s shooting, two armed police officers will be returned to East High School, located in Denver’s City Park neighbourhood, for the rest of the current academic year, said Alex Marrero, the district superintendent.
Classes for the school’s 2500 students would be cancelled for the rest of the week, Mr Marrero said.
-Reuters
