East High School shooting in Denver: What we know, what we don’t
On Wednesday morning, a student at East High School shot and wounded two administrators who were searching him for weapons. Denver police said the gunman, identified as 17-year-old Austin Lyles, fled after the shooting, setting off a daylong manhunt that ended Wednesday evening in Park County with the discovery of Lyle’s car and body. Authorities said Lyle died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In the wake of the shooting, which is the second shooting in six weeks at Denver’s East High School, students are calling on state lawmakers to pass a trio of gun violence prevention bills, and the Denver Public Schools board has unanimously voted to reinstate school resource officers.
Here’s what we know and don’t know about Wednesday’s shooting:
- There was a heavy police presence in Congress Park around the time of the shooting on Wednesday morning. The neighborhood is about half a mile south of the school; Denver police did not confirm why they were in the neighborhood, though some residents believe Lyle lived in the area. Shortly after the shooting, police said they knew where the suspected gunman lived and reported that they had executed a warrant at his home.
- The two injured school administrators were deans at the school; one is out of the hospital and the other is in serious condition.
- Lyle was previously expelled from Overland High School in Aurora, and at the time of the shooting, was reportedly on probation for a previous firearms offense, Reuters confirmed through a source with knowledge of the case. Lyle was charged in late 2021 with possessing a dangerous weapon and possessing a large-capacity ammunition magazine after an arrest in Aurora.
In November of 2022, according to the Reuters source, Lyle was sentenced to 12 months of probation for the large-magazine possession charge, while the dangerous weapon charge was dismissed.
- As a condition for enrolling Lyle in East High School, a special “safety plan” was implemented requiring him to submit to a search of his person for weapons each day upon entering the building, a pat-down to be conducted by school administrators, Reuters reported. The district will not disclose details of specific students’ safety plans because they are protected by federal law, Denver Public Schools spokesperson Rachel Childress said in an email.
- Little information has emerged about Lyle since Wednesday’s shooting. But a couple of people who appear to have known him shared condolences and photos, purportedly of Lyle, on Facebook:
“I’m at a loss for words right now. We knew who you really were and we know the real story. I’m sorry this happened to you. Sending light and love to the Lyle family tonight. Rest in peace Austin,” one woman shared alongside a photo of a boy – several years younger than Lyle in the present day – holding a fish by a body of water in the woods.
“Rest in peace Austin. No matter what he was a great kid in our eyes, and great friend to my Son and his team mates (sic). You will be missed. My condolences to the Lyle family,” wrote another woman alongside a photo of a group of children holding trophies and wearing maroon T-shirts that read “Aurora.”
Read more in-depth coverage from the Denver Gazette here:
Latest news: East High School shooting