3 Students, Including Attacker, Shot at Colorado High School, Authorities Say

Three students, including a shooting suspect, were critically injured in a shooting at a suburban high school in Colorado on Wednesday afternoon, the authorities said.

The shooting took place just before 12:30 p.m. on the grounds of Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, about 30 miles southwest of Denver, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The students were taken to an area hospital, Jacki Kelley, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, told reporters. She said in another update that one of the three students, a male juvenile, was the shooter, though it was unclear how that person had been shot.

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

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.

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, Kelley said.

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

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

Chief Mike Weege of Evergreen Fire Protection District choked up as he described Evergreen as a “strong, resilient community,” adding that many of the emergency medical workers who responded live in the area.

“When something happens this close, it’s difficult, but we had a job to do,” Weege said. “Everybody came together and did their job.”

Many students were inside the school and witnessed the shooting, 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.”

Hillary Van Der Zee said in an interview that her daughter, a junior at Evergreen, was off-campus for lunch with a friend when she called to say there was an active shooter at the school. Moments later, Van Der Zee and her husband heard a parade of sirens on nearby Evergreen Parkway, the main route to the school. Van Der Zee said her daughter wanted to return to the campus, which is about 4 miles from their home, to help.

“We said, ‘No, the best you can do is come home,’” Van Der Zee said.

Her daughter said that students on campus had reported hearing gunfire, and that many were checking in on one another throughout the day.

The high school, which has about 900 students, is part of the Jefferson Public School District, according to the state’s Education Department.

The school district did not immediately respond to inquiries about the shooting. Parents and students were being reunited at a local elementary school, the sheriff’s office said.

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,” Polis said. “We are all praying for the victims and the entire community.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.