Transcript for Suspect in Denver school shooting found dead after manhunt
- That shooting at a Denver high school. The 17-year-old suspect has been found dead after an hours-long manhunt. Now, two administrators are recovering. It all comes just weeks after another shooting near that same high school, Mola Lenghi has the latest from Denver.
MOLA LENGHI: After a massive manhunt, authorities confirming they have discovered the body of the 17-year-old gunman accused of shooting two administrators at his high school in Denver.
MAN: At approximately, 8:15, the Jefferson County SWAT Team searching the woods located a body.
MOLA LENGHI: Investigators say the gunman, identified as Austin Lyle, was found near his SUV. The vehicle about 50 miles from the school where the shooting happened.
MAN: We need two buses and we need two stretchers inside.
MOLA LENGHI: The two victims identified as Jerald Mason and Eric Sinclair. Overnight, Mason released from the hospital in good condition. Sinclair remains in serious condition. Authorities say that just before 10:00 AM, the shooter was undergoing a daily safety pat down, due to previous behavioral issues, when he opened fire.
MAN: During that search, which took place away from other students, away from other school staff, they did produce that weapon and fire shots.
MOLA LENGHI: The student then fled with the gun.
MAN: Obviously, he is armed and dangerous and willing to use the weapon.
MOLA LENGHI: Many of the students were in an assembly when they were put on lockdown.
MAN: They had to cut the performance and then tell us that we were actually on lockdown.
MOLA LENGHI: Others seeing first responders from their windows.
MAN: This is crazy, man.
- You saw them being placed in the ambulance and all that?
- A lot of people did if they were in the library or anything with, like, windows.
MOLA LENGHI: Parents and family gathering outside the school, waiting for word.
- How many school shootings do we to have? This is going to affect our kids the rest of their lives.
MOLA LENGHI: Just six weeks ago, Luis Garcia, a student here, was shot in his car near the high school.
WOMAN: He did pass away, yeah, earlier this month.
MOLA LENGHI: Do you guys feel safe?
- Not really. It's hard to not have that in the back of your mind, not have escape routes ready to go whenever something breaks out.
- I rushed over here, for the fourth time this year, to get my son out of a lockdown. It's got to stop. I can't take it anymore.
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DIANE MACEDO: And Mola Lenghi joins me live from Denver with more on that. Mola, you spoke with students and family members after this shooting. What are they telling you?
- Well, Diane, you heard that one mother who was just distraught, who was fed up. The students that we spoke to yesterday described just that-- being fed up with the fear and the anxiety that consumes them just because they go to school here. They describe a laundry list, essentially, of recent threats and incidents. Obviously, there was yesterday's shooting.
There was a deadly shooting about six weeks ago where a student here was sitting in his car and he was shot and killed near campus. Students tell me that they have had multiple bomb threats called in to the school just this year. That lockdowns at this school are almost routine. And so going here, it's very difficult to focus on school, as you can imagine, when you're consumed by the anxiety and the fear that these threats and these incidents cause.
Now, the students do say that they don't blame the school, that these incidents are not reflective of this school or the administration or the staff, but that more security needs to be put in place. They've been calling for everything from metal detectors to be implemented to school resource officers to come back and be on campus here. And those are things that family members, parents, as you heard there, have also been echoing.
- Now, Mola, the suspect here was searched daily, we're told, due to behavioral issues. How unusual is that, or is this something that happens with other students, too?
- Well, it certainly isn't common. The school determines that on a case-by-case basis. According to the school, this particular student had some previous behavioral issues. We don't know what those were. But they determine that because of those issues that it required a daily morning security and safety pat down. But again, students are calling those sort of security measures inadequate. That a pat down by administrators is not going to accomplish what's needed here, but again, metal detectors, what they were calling for, as well as the school resource officers are what they're calling for.
DIANE MACEDO: And now, you're talking about school resource officers. These are armed officers. They were removed from Denver high schools in 2020 after the death of George Floyd. What's the reaction to this idea that now, they'll be returning to the schools?
- Yeah, these are police officers that are posted at public schools. They were, as you mentioned, they were removed due to a sort of a push back from the community. And now, as a result of these recent-- the recent outcry, you could say, by the parents and students and obviously, yesterday's incident, the school district has decided to put school resource officers back in the public schools. They say at least through the end of this school year, but beyond that, it remains unclear. And it also remains unclear, what other security measures they might put in place here. Diane.
DIANE MACEDO: All right. Mola Lenghi in Denver for us. Thank you.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.