A student shot 2 administrators at a Denver high school, police say

Two school administrators at Denver's East High School were shot by a 17-year-old student Wednesday morning, police said. As of that afternoon, one of the victims was undergoing surgery and the second was in stable condition at a hospital.

No other injuries were reported, according to Colorado Public Radio/Denverite.

Police say they were still looking for the student, who has been identified as Austin Lyle. His vehicle was found in Park County, about 115 miles from Denver.

Emergency responders received calls of the shooting at around 9:50 a.m., according to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas and other officials during a news conference at around 11 a.m. local time.

Local paramedics were already at the school treating another student who was suffering an allergic reaction. Those paramedics were able to begin treating the two injured administrators quickly.

At the time of the shooting, Lyle was undergoing a regular morning search before he entered the school. This was part of a safety plan agreement established with him due to prior behavioral issues. He previously never brought in a weapon, until Wednesday, officials said. The shooting took place at a front office of the school and away from other students and staff.

Lyle then fled the school.

Denver Public Schools said they will be doing a "controlled release" of the students once police allow for it.

Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero said during the news conference that the school will not be in session for the rest of the week. Two armed officers will remain at East High School until the end of the year, after which the school will consider next steps to improve security, he said.

In 2020, Denver's public school system decided to remove its in-school Denver Police Department officers, which had monitored the school campuses, out of concerns for the treatment of young students of color, according to Denverite.

This recent tragedy comes as the East High School community is still mourning the loss of student Luis Garcia. In February, the 16-year-old was shot outside of the school while sitting in his car. He died more than two weeks later.

Following his death, East High School students staged a walkout to demand action on gun violence, according to the activist group Students Demand Action.

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