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JeffCo SWAT member resigns after drinking before Evergreen High School shooting response

By and December 8, 2025 | updated 1 month ago

FILE PHOTO: Students return to Evergreen High School for the first time after a student shot two classmates two weeks prior on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025 in Evergreen, Colo. (Tom Hellauer/Denver Gazette)

A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team leader resigned after admitting to being intoxicated during the Evergreen High School shooting in September.

Sgt. Anthony Hamilton resigned from the department on Thursday after he admitted that he drank “the better part of a 12 pack” of beer starting around 6:30 a.m. Sept. 10, the day a school shooting rocked the Evergreen community, according to internal affairs documents obtained by The Denver Gazette’s news partner, 9News.

“During the aftermath of the incident, our agency learned that a sergeant on the SWAT Team who responded to the scene while off duty was under the influence of alcohol,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “This conduct falls far outside the standards and expectations of the Sheriff’s Office. The sergeant was placed on leave, and an internal investigation was conducted. That process has since concluded, and the employee resigned in lieu of termination.”

The shooting took place around 12 p.m. on Sept. 10, with alleged shooter Desmond Holly, 16, entering the school and firing at students, eventually critically injuring two students — one outside of the school and one inside. Holly eventually shot and killed himself.

Local law enforcement agencies began arriving at the school around 12:30 p.m., including Hamilton.

Records indicate Hamilton called out of work in the days before the shooting to deal with family issues. He did decide to respond to the school shooting, though, he later told internal affairs investigators. 

Several officers who were also interviewed reported to the investigators that Hamilton smelled of alcohol and that his eyes appeared bloodshot and watery while he was inside the school clearing rooms.

The records also cite officers who said Hamilton was in an area of the school where he was not assigned to be and that it was “weird” because he was not in his “area of responsibility.”

Other officers noted that Hamilton was drinking coffee while inside the school and wearing sunglasses in the hallways.

Hamilton admitted he was likely legally intoxicated when he drove his take-home law enforcement vehicle to Evergreen High School while armed and wearing his green SWAT team uniform, according to records.

“He said his mindset was that he did not expect that a school shooting would happen, and that was the reason he responded,” an internal affairs investigator wrote in the report. “He knew his team would need help. He said that was the wrong decision, stating ‘That was the reason why, and I regret few things in my life more.’”

Internal Affairs records also indicate that Hamilton was suspended for two days for drinking alcohol at a precinct in February 2024.

During that incident, an officer noticed that Hamilton smelled of alcohol. He admitted to drinking on precinct property and was taken home by another officer.

The sheriff’s office said there are resources for all employees to help them with substance abuse and that Hamilton did engage with resources offered by the county after this incident.

Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) only has the resignation listed under its incidents. Hamilton is still POST certified and had no other infractions listed.

9NEWS contributed to this report.

9News

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