Douglas County Sheriff: STEM School shooting body cam video is roadmap for lessons learned, new training efforts

For the first time, some of the body camera video from the tragic STEM School shooting that happened three years ago has been released. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock says the video has provided a roadmap for training deputies to be better prepared in the future. 

CBS4 Investigates obtained video clips from two responding deputies on the day of the shooting - May 7, 2019. The clips are 30 minutes each of those deputies' initial responses to the school when the shots first broke out. 

The video clips show how the school was locked down so well that even law enforcement couldn't get in at first, something the sheriff says has been a lesson learned. 

"When I see these videos, I get very anxious, because I know that every second counts, and when I see that my deputies are struggling to get through a door, I'm conflicted," Sheriff Spurlock said. 

Spurlock said all doors to the school were locked, except one. He said it was almost as if by "divine intervention" that the one door that was open, was closest to where the shooting took place. 

"That entrance was 25 feet from where the shooting took place. It was an emergency egress door, really it's not a door that is designed for kids to come to and fro," Spurlock said. "I don't know how that door got opened or if someone had exited that door, and it just didn't close. It's hard to tell because the officers that made that initial entry, didn't have body-worn cameras on that could see that."

The officers who made it through the one unlocked door were the first to respond to classroom 107 - where the shooting took place - and detain the shooters. 

"I know that we were lucky to be able to get into that one door that was open... that made a huge difference for us," Spurlock said. "Those officers that came into that other door, all those were detectives, those detectives don't carry with them batons and glass breaking equipment that a regular officer wears on a uniform. They were plainclothes officers. They would not have had the equipment to break into that window. Any problem with that door probably would have extended even more so than what these officers patrolling had. So yeah, it could have been a lot worse."

Both shooters involved that day have since been sentenced to life in prison. 

Kendrick Castillo, 18, was killed while trying to defend his classmates in room 107. Eight others were injured.

The body camera video of the deputy response CBS4 Investigates obtained shows the other deputies who responded to help the detectives Spurlock said managed to find the one unlocked door. 

One deputy had to break a glass door with a baton, then used chopping equipment to break the lock of a second, larger wooden door in the foyer. 

In another clip, a deputy responds to another side of the school and finds a group of law enforcement standing outside, seemingly unsure of how to respond. The deputy helps them break the glass door, and they are able to get in. 

The video shows both groups of deputies moving from hallway to hallway, making sure the area is safe, and helping students hiding in bathrooms and classrooms get out to safety. 

"I think what happened is what is done across America every day, which is appropriate when there is a situation, and often the school has the ability to do a lockdown. So, all the electronic door locks lock, and that's great because to have somebody run around with a key, that would be impossible," Spurlock said. "So, it worked, and it did what it's supposed to do."

But Spurlock says he has been working since then to train his deputies to work around those locking mechanisms in the event of another shooting. 

He says his office has worked with the school district to get more universal access key cards that work at all 128 school buildings in the county, and he says he's beefed up school shooter training for his deputies. 

"I've told them before: I can replace all the windows in every school in this district, okay, I can't replace any kids," Spurlock said. "So, when you get there, just start breaking stuff, just break in, do your very best.... thankfully, we've had companies that have donated doors for us, so we can have the training, because if you've never done that before, you have to practice it, and there are ways to do it. So, we are trying our very best to overcome every obstacle."

The sheriff says he's also collaborated with the school district to give school principals radios to communicate with deputies. 

"We can talk to the principal who is already on the other side, who might be right in the thick of it, and can say, 'don't go that way, it's a long way, come this way,' you know, guide us," Spurlock said. "Having that kind of communication link with folks inside the school is so important... so, we know that we're on the same sheet of music."

The Douglas County School District also received additional security funding after the shooting. Sheriff Spurlock says he advised the school on best ways to use that money for school building upgrades and equipment. 

His office also received some money to get more school resource officers. Now, DCSO has eight high school SROs, five middle school SROs, four charter school SROs, and seven elementary school SROs, for a total of 24 SROs across the district. 

Spurlock says he's also helped train staff in the school district's safety department. 

During the STEM School shooting, a school security guard accidentally shot at officers. Spurlock said that person was not trained in his office, and he has worked with the school district to ensure that doesn't happen again. 

"That person was not trained by us, was not trained in conjunction with us, and was not compliant with the rules and regulations at the time, and so, that individual was addressed criminally at the time, and now what we need to focus on is we need to know if there's a contract person in there, are they armed so we can train together because the last thing you want is two good guys shooting each other because they don't know they're good guys," Spurlock said. "Sometimes, plainclothes officers are the first on the scene. Just because that's how it happens. And so, we have really focused on having that open dialogue with the schools. So, I know if a charter school has a private contractor, we want to meet with him. We want to have conversations and then we embrace them. We invite them into our training."

Spurlock doesn't think arming teachers is the answer and hopes the state will make even more mental health resources available to students. 

Until then, the sheriff says he believes they've learned a lot since tragedy struck three years ago, and he's ready for any future incidents in the future. 

"Unfortunately, if something like STEM was to occur again, in Douglas County, I feel very confident that our deputies are prepared and well-trained to handle the situation," Spurlock said. "I believe that we are very well suited right now, based upon training, equipment, and resources, to handle the situation. I just hope and pray every day that we never have to use them."

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office provided the following tips and information for anyone who might see anything suspicious in school: 

Leakage is the communication to a third party with an intent to do harm to a target. It is commonly found in school shootings during the preparation phase of the pathway to violence. Third parties are typically other people, but the means of communication could vary widely, from planned or spontaneous utterances to letters, diaries, emails, voice mails, blogs, journals, internet postings, tweets, text messages, and video postings.

Safe2Tell is a statewide year-round 24-hour a day system staffed by the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC) for anonymous reporting of any potential threats to schools or persons. Reports can be made with a mobile device, desktop computer or by calling a hotline (1-877-542-7233). They encourage students and parents to come forward as soon as possible when they learn about something that may cause harm to others or themselves. When you see something, say something. These Safe2Tell tips are sent to school administrators and law enforcement to investigate and used to prevent school violence.

Trusted Adult is someone whom a person contemplating violence can ask for help from and a third party who may have concerns about another student can speak with.  School-based trusted adults are typically teachers, counselors, coaches, and other school staff.  School Resources Officers strive to connect with students and be the trusted adult that students can turn to for help.