We’re learning more about the two students arrested in Tuesday’s shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch that left 1 dead and 8 others injured.
The first suspect, who is a minor and not identified by police, is reportedly transgender and transitioning from male to female. Sources told Denver 7 that “the motive of the shooters went beyond bullying and involved revenge and anger towards others”:
BREAKING: Denver7 reports the second suspect in the #STEMshooting is a transgender who was in the midst of transitioning from female to male
"sources said that the motive of the shooters went beyond bullying and involved revenge and anger towards others"https://t.co/XjgJg4f0Tx
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 8, 2019
More from Denver 7:
Multiple sources close to the investigation told Denver7 late Tuesday night that the second suspect, who is a minor, is a transgender male who was in the midst of transitioning from female to male.
The sources said 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.
The second suspect has been identified as Devon Erickson, 18:
#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
According to reports, Erickson was angry with anti-gay comments made by Christians:
BREAKING: The #STEMshooting suspect hated Christians, hated Donald Trump, shared far-left social media content praising Barack Obama https://t.co/C2etuv3f9i
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 8, 2019
From the Washington Times:
Mr. Erickson had said on social media, according to a report in Heavy.com, that he hated Christians for their teaching on homosexuality and his accounts suggested he was not a fan of President Trump.
“You know what I hate? All these Christians who hate gays, yet in the bible, it says in Deuteronomy 17:12-13, if someone doesn’t do what their priest tells them to do, they are supposed to die. It has plenty of crazy stuff like that. But all they get out of it is ‘ewwwwww gays,’ ” he wrote on Facebook a couple of years ago.
In 2016, his account shared a video of comedian and TV host Seth Meyers attacking President Trump, and in 2015, “he shared an Occupy Democrats post praising then President Barack Obama,” according to Heavy.
There will be a press conference today with more details:
We will be doing a press conference tomorrow (05/08/2019) at 6:00am Mountain Time at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Highlands Ranch Substation at 9250 Zotos Dr. Highlands Ranch, CO. No further information will be released tonight as we continue to process the scene.
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) May 8, 2019
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Related:
Police say at least seven injured in school shooting in Colorado; Two suspects in custody https://t.co/gYJNeNIzCg
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 7, 2019
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