A student wanted after shooting two staff members at his school in Denver, Colorado (Western) was found dead in a nearby county, US media reported Thursday, citing authorities.
• Also read: A high school student deemed dangerous shoots two employees at his Denver school dead
The suspect has been identified as 17-year-old Austin Lyle, according to NBC News, the Park County Coroner’s Office said.
The student pulled a gun during a search at the entrance to his East High School in Denver early Wednesday morning.
In response to an 911 call, police and paramedics “were quick to the scene and discovered two adult men with gunshot wounds,” Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said.
The two injured, one seriously, were taken to the hospital.
The Denver Police Department announced late Wednesday that an initially unidentified body was found near Austin Lyle’s vehicle in Park County, southwest of Denver.
The Park County, Colorado coroner has confirmed that a body found in a wooded area Wednesday night is that of 17-year-old Austin Lyle, who allegedly shot and killed two staffers at a Denver high school earlier that day and had hurt https://t. co/w4JSAoHPWA
— CNN (@CNN) March 23, 2023
The county forensic bureau said an inquest into the (suspect’s) death was ongoing and more details would be released only after an autopsy, NBC reported.
The teenager’s vehicle was found just before 4:30 p.m. (2230 GMT), police said, according to local newspaper The Denver Post.
The body was discovered about four hours later, 320 yards from the vehicle, Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw was quoted as saying in the Post.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Denver Police Department and the FBI were also involved in the search for Austin Lyle, McGraw said in a statement.
Daily Search
The suspect was searched each morning upon his arrival at the school, Ron Thomas said, noting that such procedures were usually put in place when there were concerns about past behaviour.
Classes have been canceled for the remainder of the week and armed police will be stationed at the high school through the end of the school year, Denver Public Schools official Alex Marrero said.
According to The Denver Post, in 2020 the city’s school board decided to retire police officers guarding schools amid large anti-racism protests following the killing of African American George Floyd by a white police officer.
The presence of the agents was detrimental to the students of color, the council’s elected officials had argued.
Gun tragedies are rampant in the United States, where politicians have been unable to agree on stricter regulations despite widespread public support.