Douglas County, Colorado police have released the name of one of the suspects accused of shooting nine students, killing one, at STEM School Highlands Ranch: Devon Erickson. The sheriff’s office stated on Twitter, “Adult suspect has been identified as Devon Erickson, age 18. We will not be releasing any photos at this time as it could jeopardize this critical on-going invest. We still have interviews to conduct and we want to make sure we have the most accurate information.” Learn more about Erickson, and what we know so far about the case:
1. Erickson is accused of shooting nine students at his high school in suburban Denver. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock confirmed that one 18-year-old male student was killed, and another eight injured after two shooters, one allegedly Erickson, opened fire at the K-12 school on May 7. The eight injured victims at STEM School Highlands Ranch are all 15 and over. As of the morning of May 8, five of the students had been released from the hospital. Police are not releasing the names of any of the victims at this time.
2. Sources detailed Erickson’s possible motive for the shooting. Multiple anonymous sources told news channel Denver7 that “the motive of the alleged shooters went beyond bullying and involved revenge and anger towards others at the school and that at least one of the suspects was involved in legal and illegal drug use and had been in therapy.” Denver7 did a criminal background check on Erickson, which revealed that his only prior run-in with the law was a citation for careless driving.
3. He had an accomplice. Police announced in a May 8 press conference that there was another suspect, a juvenile male, but they were not releasing their name at this time. Erickson is due in court at 1:30pm local time on May 8; it is unclear when the juvenile will appear in court at this time.
#stemshooting Adult suspect has been identified as Devon Erickson, age 18. We will not be releasing any photos at this time as it could jeopardize this critical on-going invest. We still have interviews to conduct and we want to make sure we have the most accurate information
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) May 8, 2019
Honda towed, seized from home of #STEMschool suspect. A pentagram was spray painted on hood, with the numbers 666. pic.twitter.com/EvlowsDvqe
— kieran nicholson (@kierannicholson) May 8, 2019
4. Neighbors were shocked by the allegations. A neighbor who asked to remain anonymous told The Denver Post that Erickson is “a quiet kid, small in stature,” and that they were absolutely shocked by allegations that he was one of the STEM shooters. “There was nothing that would lead you to believe he’d be capable of doing this, not in a million years,” the neighbor said.
5. A car was towed from his parents’ home. A white Honda sedan was seen being towed by authorities from the Erickson family home in Highlands Ranch on May 7. The house itself was cordoned off with police tape, and investigators were inside the home, according to Denver Post reporter Kieran Nicholson. The car has a pentagram and “666” spray painted on the hood, as well as “f**k society” on the passenger side door. It’s unclear if the car belongs to the suspect.