What happened at Evergreen High
Just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, a 16-year-old student opened fire at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, Colorado, shooting two classmates before turning the gun on himself. The shooter, identified by authorities as Desmond Holly, died later that night at a hospital from a self-inflicted wound.
Detectives say Holly carried a revolver and moved through parts of the building during the lunch period, firing multiple rounds and reloading between bursts. “He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire and reload. This went on and on,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley told reporters, describing a chaotic span that sent students and staff into lockdown protocols and out of the building to safety.
One student was shot inside the school and another outside. The sheriff’s office identified one victim as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone. By Wednesday night, one student remained in critical condition at CommonSpirit St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood; the second was reported in stable condition and was transferred to another facility. Silverstone’s family, speaking through the sheriff’s office, asked for privacy while they focus on recovery.
During the attack, many students ran toward a nearby recreation center and the local library, while others scattered into surrounding neighborhoods. Inside the building, teachers and students locked classroom doors and followed active-shooter protocols. “Lots of kids and teachers locked down in those rooms, did what they were supposed to do, and we know that it saved lives,” Kelley said. “They’re heroes.”
Holly rode the school bus that morning, investigators said. As he moved through the building, he encountered locked doors and other barriers that slowed him and limited his access to potential victims. Deputies and school staff moved quickly to clear hallways and secure classrooms. Evergreen High will remain closed for the rest of the week as the investigation continues and the district prepares support for students and staff.
One complicating factor: the full-time school resource officer normally assigned to the campus was on medical leave. Part-time officers had been rotating in to cover. On Wednesday, an officer staffed the school until about 10:45 a.m. but was called away for a nearby traffic accident. Kelley called it “horrible timing” and said the officer did nothing wrong.
Evergreen sits in the foothills west of Denver, in the same county where the Columbine High School attack in 1999 led to major changes in law enforcement response and school safety plans nationwide. The rapid lockdowns and student evacuations seen Wednesday reflect those decades of training and drills that have since become standard in Colorado schools.
What investigators are looking at—and the questions ahead
Investigators say Holly appears to have been radicalized by an extremist group or network, but they have not detailed what that means or how it influenced his actions. They stressed the motive remains unclear. Detectives have executed search warrants for Holly’s home, school locker, and phone, and they’re reviewing digital communications and social media. The shooter’s family is cooperating with law enforcement.
Authorities believe Holly was shooting indiscriminately rather than targeting specific individuals. He brought significant ammunition to campus, according to Kelley, though investigators are still counting the rounds fired. They’re also working to determine how he obtained the revolver. Colorado law bars minors from buying guns from licensed dealers, and the state has safe storage and extreme risk protection order laws. It’s not yet known whether any of those measures might have applied in this case.
When underage attackers do get guns, they often come from homes where a firearm was unsecured. A 2021 report from the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center found most student attackers who used firearms accessed them from family members. That pattern is now part of the Evergreen probe as detectives look at potential access points and storage practices.
The timeline is a key focus: how long the shooting lasted, where Holly moved inside and outside the building, and how staff actions shaped his path. Locking doors—routine in active-shooter protocols—appears to have limited his movement. Investigators are mapping those decisions against 911 calls, body camera footage, and surveillance video to understand how the response unfolded minute by minute.
Digital forensics will likely take time. Detectives will try to trace any online interactions tied to extremism, including message boards, private chats, and encrypted apps. They’ll look for indicators of planning: written notes, saved images, searches, and any attempts to acquire weapons or ammunition. If they find links to organized extremist networks, that could pull in federal partners. If the activity was isolated or mostly online, the motive may be harder to pin down.
The day’s staffing gap with the school resource officer adds a tough wrinkle but doesn’t point to misconduct, according to the sheriff’s office. Schools rely on layers of defense: trained staff, student drills, controlled access points, and the ability to lock down quickly. On Wednesday, those layers—especially the locked classrooms—appear to have slowed the shooter and reduced the harm.
Students and families now face the aftermath. The school district plans to keep campus closed through the week as law enforcement processes the scene and administrators prepare to reopen. Expect counselors, school psychologists, and social workers on site when students return. In past incidents, districts have staggered schedules, brought in therapy dogs, and held voluntary assemblies to walk through what happened and what supports are available.
For the Evergreen community, the shock is compounded by history. Jefferson County has spent decades refining crisis protocols. Patrol officers train to move toward gunfire, not wait; schools run lockdown drills; reunification sites are preplanned and practiced. Those changes grew out of hard lessons after Columbine, and they shape how Wednesday’s response played out.
Here’s what is known—and what is still missing:
- Confirmed: The shooter was a 16-year-old student, identified as Desmond Holly. He used a revolver, reloaded repeatedly, and died from a self-inflicted wound.
- Victims: Two students were shot, one inside and one outside. One remains in critical condition; the other is stable and was transferred. One victim is publicly identified as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone.
- Response: Students and staff locked down classrooms; others fled to nearby buildings and neighborhoods. A part-time school resource officer was at the school until late morning but left for a nearby crash.
- Investigation: Search warrants for Holly’s home, locker, and phone are underway. Investigators are probing signs of extremist radicalization and how he obtained the weapon and ammunition.
- Unanswered: The specific motive; the origin of the firearm; the exact number of shots fired; any verified ties to an organized extremist group.
Parents and students will look for practical changes when classes resume: tighter entry controls, more visible law enforcement, and adjustments to lunch and passing periods to limit open access. Districts often use the first days back to reset routines and explain why certain measures—locking doors, sheltering in place, or running to safety—made a difference.
For many students, the hardest part is the emotional whiplash. After a lockdown, it’s normal to feel jumpy at loud noises and anxious in crowded hallways. Schools often encourage students to shorten their first day back, avoid doomscrolling, and stick close to trusted adults. Families can expect ongoing updates on counseling options and schedule changes through the district’s usual channels.
Authorities say they’ll release more information as it’s confirmed. Until then, the picture is still filling in: a midday attack during lunch, a revolver reloaded multiple times, and a school community whose quick lockdowns limited the harm. The story of the Evergreen High School shooting is now locked to a familiar set of investigative questions—motive, means, and warning signs—that will take days or weeks to answer with confidence.
