Students reunite with loved ones and classmates outside Bergen Meadow Elementary School after a shooting at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colo., on Sept. 10, 2025. Credit: The Denver Post

Students at Evergreen High School in Colorado were more than halfway through the school day in their third week of classes this semester when over 100 law enforcement officers swarmed the campus, searching every room for an active shooter as they went into lockdown.

Authorities said a boy opened fire with a handgun Wednesday at a high school near Denver, Colorado, wounding two students, before fatally shooting himself.

The shooting occurred just before 12:30 p.m. local time at Evergreen High School in the Colorado foothills, about 28 miles southwest of Denver, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect was believed to be a student at the school, Jacki Kelley, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, told reporters in a news briefing. His identity has not been released.

This comes against the backdrop of a shooting that killed US President Donald Trump’s aide, Charlie Kirk, who was killed during an event at Utah Valley University.

One of the two student victims who was shot was in critical condition at CommonSpirit St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood. The second student at St. Anthony’s with non-life-threatening injuries was described as “no longer in the care of the hospital” as of Wednesday evening. The students’ identities have not been released.

Kelley said that deputies responded to numerous 911 calls, making contact with the shooter within five minutes. She said no law enforcement officers fired any weapons, however.

“The first on scene — they were at the school — were pretty quick to find our suspect,” Kelley said.

A preliminary investigation revealed the shooting took place inside and outside of the school building, Kelly said, adding that the suspect used a handgun and numerous students witnessed the shooting. The suspect sustained self-inflicted gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office later confirmed on social media.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the Denver metro area responded to help. Kelley said they formed multiple teams, and after the initial chaos, they cleared the school room by room. The scene was declared safe after that.

People can be seen filing out of Evergreen High School at 1:37 p.m. after a shooting there Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 10, 2025. Credit: CBS News

Jefferson County Schools set up a reunification center for parents and guardians at Bergen Meadow Elementary School. By nightfall, the center had closed and the sheriff’s office stated on social media: “If you are a parent that has still not located your child, please call Jeffcom 911 at 303-980-7300.”

“Reunification, I don’t know if it went really well; it was bumpy because (after the shots were fired) we had kids running in every direction — to the library, to the substation, to a couple different schools,” Kelley said.

Investigators are also working to interview many of the students who witnessed what happened to piece together how the school became the site of the 47th shooting that took place at a school in the United States so far this year – 24 of which were on college campuses and 23 on K-12 school grounds.

The tragedy took place less than an hour after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot at an event at Utah Valley University.

Colorado is a state known for several devastating shootings since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School – from Aurora, where 12 people were killed at a movie theater in 2012, to an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs where five were fatally shot and the mass shooting at King Soopers in Boulder, which killed 10.

One student remains in critical condition at nearby St. Anthony’s Hospital and the other injured student’s condition was stable, said Lindsay Radford, a spokesperson for the hospital. Officials do not believe there are any additional people injured, hospital chief executive Kevin Cullinan said at a news briefing.

The grandfather of two twin brothers attending 10th grade at the school said he was in shock after learning his family was touched by gun violence for the second time within five years.

Mike Webb, whose ex-wife Xiaojie Tan was one of eight people killed in the 2021 Atlanta-area spa shootings, said the boys’ father texted him that an active shooter was at the school, but the brothers were safe.

Deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies responded to a shooting at Evergreen High School on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. Credit: CBS News

“One of the boys was in the main hallway when the shooting broke out and he just ran,” Webb said. “The other boy was outside of the music room, and he ran too, but he ran into police who had weapons drawn.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI are assisting with processing crime scenes both inside and outside of the school, which is located roughly 28 miles southwest from Denver.

“This is the scariest thing you could ever think that could happen and these parents were really frightened and so were the kids,” said Kelley. “And I know we always say not again, and here we are.”

Colorado Governor Jared Polis said state troopers were also responding to the scene. His administration is offering to help in the days ahead “to get children and families the resources needed to cope with this terrible act of violence,” Polis added.

“This kind of violence has absolutely no place in Colorado or anywhere, especially our schools, where kids should feel safe to learn and grow,” Polis said. “No family should ever fear for their child’s life as they send them to school.”

Senator Michael Bennet said he was “horrified” by the shooting and thanked law enforcement officers for their “swift response”.

“I will continue to monitor the situation closely and think of Evergreen’s teachers and students in the wake of this senseless violence,” he said.

The news of an active shooter at the school was Webb’s greatest fear realised, he said. He worries every day about his grandsons’ school being the next target of a shooting, but felt reassured by its tight-knit community.

“I thought, at least they’re up in the mountains and it’s unlikely anything like this would happen. And sure enough it did,” he said.

Webb said he spoke with one of the brothers, who was clearly shaken up, and told him he understands what they will be dealing with in the aftermath of the shooting.

“I told him none of us should have to go through this,” said Webb. “I said this is the world we live in and thank God you guys are OK.”