Two faculty members were injured in a shooting at a Colorado high school on Wednesday, authorities say.
The latest U.S. school shooting occurred shortly before 10 a.m. at Denver's East High School after faculty members patted down a student and found a gun, police say.
The student then opened fire on the teachers before leaving the campus, according to the Denver P.D. Two administrators were injured.
The campus was locked down after officers arrived. With the suspect on the run, the school conducted a "controlled release" of students so they could get home safely.
Around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, the 17-year-old suspect was found dead in the woods near his vehicle, which was abandoned in a remote mountain area about 50 miles southwest of Denver, the Associated Press reported.
The teen has since been identified as Austin Lyle. A cause of death was not revealed.
"The Park County Coroners Office will be continuing to conduct a death investigation and will have no further details after an autopsy is completed," the coroners office said in a statement.
Officials say Lyle, who had just started attending the school in January, was under a "safety plan" and had agreed to be patted down at school every morning due to "behavioral issues."
The injured administrators were identified as Eric Sinclair, Dean of Culture, and Jerald Mason, a restorative practice coordinator in the dean's office, The Denver Post reported. Mason released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon while Sinclair was listed in serious condition, a hospital spokesperson told the newspaper.
Mayor Michael Hancock told the Post that paramedics likely saved the administrators' lives, as they were already at the school when shots rang out, helping a student who was having an allergic reaction, and were able to provide aid quickly.
The shooting happened a month after 16-year-old student Luis Garcia was shot while sitting in his car near the school. He died two weeks later.
The school board in 2020 voted to remove armed police resource officers from all campuses. Following this latest shooting, the officers will be returning to schools.
"Removing them was a mistake and we must move swiftly to correct it," Mayor Hancock said in a statement. "Superintendent Alex Marrero and I jointly agree that the safety of students and the public require deployment of police officers assigned to the high school for the remainder of the school year... I've directed Denver Police Chief Thomas to support this effort and deploy our officers accordingly in coordination with the school district."
"Our schools should be free from violence. Period," Hancock added. "Parents are angry and frustrated, and they have a right to be. Easy access to guns must be addressed in our country -- Denver cannot do this alone."
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