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U.S. NEWS Thursday 9 May 2019

Slain teen charged attacker in Colorado school shooting

By KATHLEEN FOODY, P. immediately was on top former SWAT team leader
SOLOMON BANDA and of him with complete dis- who responded to the Col-
NICHOLAS RICCARDI regard for his own safety," umbine shooting. The own-
Associated Press said Bialy, a close friend of er, Grant Whitus, told The
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. Castillo's who has signed Associated Press the securi-
(AP) — When a gunman up to join the Marines. ty guard is a former Marine
burst into his high school A member of the school's who ran to the area of the
classroom, Kendrick Cas- robotics club and a relent- shootings and confronted
tillo did not hesitate. less tinkerer, Castillo had an one of the armed students
The 18-year-old immedi- infectious smile and gentle in a hallway.
ately charged, pinning the sense of humor, according The guard drew his weap-
attacker to the wall before to friends. He worked part- on and apprehended the
Castillo was fatally shot time at a local manufac- person, Whitus said.
protecting classmates, wit- turing company that had "He doesn't even realize
nesses said. As he charged, offered him a job after an how many lives he saved
so did two other students. internship because he was by stopping a school shoot-
One of them, Brendan Bi- such a standout employee. ing," Whitus said.
aly, wrestled the gun from "To find he went down as Both suspects were stu-
the shooter's hand and the a hero, I'm not surprised. dents at the school, and
students subdued him. That's exactly who Kend- they were not previously
A second shooter was cap- rick was," said Rachel Short, known to authorities, Spur-
tured by an armed security president of the company, lock said.
guard. Baccara. Erickson made his first court
Authorities said these acts Cecilia Bedard, 19, had appearance Wednesday
of bravery helped minimize known Castillo since el- and kept his head down.
the bloodshed from Tues- ementary school and said His black hair, streaked
day's attack, which also he was always friendly, with purple dye, covered
wounded eight people. modest and excited to his face as he nodded in
"We're going to hear about help people. He made a response to most of Dis-
very heroic things that point of always joining his trict Court Judge Theresa
have taken place at the father at Knights of Colum- Slade's questions. At one This undated photo provided by Rachel Short shows Kendrick
Castillo, who was killed during a shooting at the STEM School
school," Douglas County bus fundraisers and bingo point, the judge requested Highlands Ranch on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Highlands Ranch,
Sheriff Tony Spurlock said nights. a verbal answer to wheth- Colo.
Wednesday. "He was amazing," Bedard er he had any questions Associated Press
The attackers were identi- said. "He was honestly the about the proceedings. Er-
fied by law enforcement sweetest kid I ever met. ickson simply replied "No." Josh Dutton, 18, said he was The Colorado attack un-
officials as 18-year-old Dev- Never said a mean joke." McKinney, who has a short close friends with Erickson folded came nearly three
on Erickson and a 16-year- Bialy smiled as he recount- brown haircut, made eye in middle school but had weeks after neighboring
old who prosecutors identi- ed the struggle with the contact with the judge and not seen him for four years Littleton marked the anni-
fied as Maya McKinney but shooter to reporters, saying answered questions in a while attending a different versary of the Columbine
whose attorney said uses that he wanted to focus clear but quiet voice, say- high school. On Sunday, he attack that killed 13 peo-
male pronouns and the on the positive. "They com- ing "Yes, your honor" and spotted Erickson at a local ple. The two schools are
name Alec. The two alleg- pletely and utterly failed in "No, your honor." light rail station and said he separated by about 7 miles
edly walked into the STEM a matter of half a minute," District attorney George was shocked at how much (11 kilometers) in adjacent
School Highlands Ranch he said of the attackers. Brauchler said he has not his friend had changed. communities south of Den-
through an entrance with- "What I saw yesterday was decided whether to file Erickson wore all black and ver.Brauchler said the com-
out metal detectors and the absolute best of peo- adult charges but add- was significantly thinner munity remains resilient in
opened fire in two class- ple," he added. ed that McKinney is old and did not seem interest- the face of multiple shoot-
rooms. Bialy would not identify the enough to be charged as ed in talking. ings, including Columbine,
Because the attack hap- third student who helped an adult without a judge's "He said he'd just turned 18 the 2012 theater shooting
pened only miles from Col- subdue the gunman, but review. and he owned rifles," Dut- in the Denver suburb of Au-
umbine High School and the family of Jason Jones Formal charges were ex- ton said. rora and the 2013 shooting
just weeks after the shoot- put out a statement saying pected to be filed by Fri- The shooting took place at Arapahoe High School.
ing's 20th anniversary, ques- he was shot twice while dis- day. Brauchler said he exactly a week after a The attacks are "aberrant
tions quickly arose about arming one of the attack- could not discuss any mo- gunman killed two stu- acts" although they might
whether it was inspired by ers. tive or weapons used in the dents and wounded four seem otherwise to the rest
the 1999 massacre. But in- The security guard who de- attack. at the University of North of the world, he said. "Who
vestigators offered no im- tained the second armed A message left at a phone Carolina-Charlotte. In that we are is a kind, compas-
mediate motive. suspect was employed by number listed for Erickson's case as well, one of the fa- sionate, caring people,
Castillo sprang into action Boss High Level Protection, home was not immediately talities was a student who and this does not define
against the shooter "and a company started by a returned. charged the attacker. us."q