Jefferson County Sheriff Reggie Marinelli wants to shorten the amount of time social media companies are given to release information to law enforcement.

A group that monitors hate speech and extremism alerted the FBI in July to disturbing internet posts tied to the Evergreen High School shooting suspect — 16-year-old Desmond Holly.

Due to laws giving social media companies 35 days to respond to warrants regarding posts, investigations into Holly were still ongoing when the alleged shooter critically injured two students and took his own life at Evergreen High School on Sept. 10.

Marinelli is working with unnamed state and federal partners to draft a federal bill to address delays, focusing on a mandate to provide faster responses to warrants.

“In today’s world, critical evidence and warning signs often appear online, and when social media companies take up to 35 days to respond to a lawful search warrant, lives are at risk. That’s unacceptable,” Marinelli told The Denver Gazette on Monday.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) provided a tip to the FBI’s New York field office in July regarding a “social media account user whose identity was unknown and who was discussing the planning of a mass shooting with threats non-specific in nature,” the FBI told The Denver Gazette’s news partner, 9NEWS, in September.

“During the assessment investigation, the identity of the account user remained unknown, and thus there was no probable cause for arrest or additional law enforcement action at the federal level,” the statement said.

While the FBI did not confirm the accounts were connected to Holly, the ADL did.

Information made public by the ADL showed that Holly’s TikTok accounts included multiple references to white supremacist symbolism. Among them was a phrase in his profile name that referenced a slogan popular among white supremacists – and a photograph of himself wearing a skull mask that includes the name of the first of two New Zealand mosques attacked by a mass shooter in March 2019.

Jacki Kelley, the sheriff’s office spokesperson, told media the day after that shooting that Holly had been radicalized by an “extremist network,” but did not share much more information.

Holly’s social media accounts, including his TikTok account, had been removed from their respective sites by the next day.

Marinelli said multiple warrants, all including separate 35-day timelines, are often necessary to receive suspect information and locations from social media companies. These warrants were already in effect on Sept. 10, according to the sheriff’s office.

“The FBI did not fail to act; this delay is a limitation of the current legal system. The FBI is an important partner and continues to offer support and resources in this ongoing investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release on Friday.

Marinelli hopes new legislation could push that timeline to hours, not weeks.

Similarly, California passed Senate Bill 918 last year, forcing social media companies to respond to search warrants within 72 hours. Marinelli wants the faster speed to be nationwide.

“Had we received timely access to the suspect’s online activity, we might have had the chance to prevent this tragedy,” she told The Denver Gazette. “This is about public safety. We owe it to the victims, their families and every community member to ensure that law enforcement has the tools and timely information needed to protect our community and save lives.”

Denver Gazette news partner 9NEWS contributed to this report.