Students rally at state Capitol after shooting at East High School
Dozens of students and some parents gathered for a rally at the state Capitol on Thursday morning one day after a shooting at East High School. Two deans were shot by a student during a pat down on Wednesday morning.
The body of Austin Lyle was found by the car police were looking for in Park County on Wednesday afternoon. The 17-year-old had been on a "safety plan" at East High School before the shooting and was already on probation for a "ghost gun."
Authorities have not released how the teenager died. The two deans recovering from gunshot wounds are Jerald Mason, the dean of culture at East High School and Eric Sinclair, the coordinator of a restorative program. Sinclair remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Safety in Colorado schools is a topic of great concern especially at East High School since 16-year-old Luis Garcia was shot in February near Denver East High School and died weeks after the shooting.
The students at the Capitol attend from East and West high schools, along with parents, faculty and staff. All demanded that state lawmakers take action to make schools safer.
They rallied, chanted, hugged and cried as they called for gun reform and a safer learning environment.
"I decided because I want safety for every student who is in high school and who is going to attend high school because it's hard. As someone with anxiety problems, it gets really scary when you are paranoid being at school sometimes," said one student.
Classes have been canceled at East for the rest of the week. DPS is on spring break next week.
According to Denver Public Schools, 10 guns have been confiscated from students in Denver schools between the start of the school year and February.
In September 2022, a threat forced all students and staff to evacuate. That threat was eventually determined to be unfounded.
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