On Sept. 10, around 12:24 p.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office claimed to have received reports of a shooting about 30 miles southwest of Denver, 20 miles from Columbine High School, where the 1999 mass shooting occurred, killing 13 individuals, at Evergreen High School. The suspect, 16-year-old Desmond Holly, armed with a revolver, opened fire on the campus of the school while some students were on their lunch break.
According to the sheriff’s office, one of the victims was shot inside, while the other was shot outside. After a temporary lockdown, the school was ruled “safe” by law enforcement. Responding officers located the suspect, who was later identified as Holly, within five minutes of arriving at the scene, according to Jacki Kelley, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect later passed away from injuries, which were self-inflicted, she said, noting that Holly had “brought quite a bit of ammunition with him.”
“He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire and reload,” Kelley said at a news conference the very day after the incident occurred. “This went on and on. And as he did that, he tried to find new targets.”
Following the event, Evergreen High School canceled classes on Sept. 11-12.. Kelley claimed the school will remain closed as the investigation continues.
Though authorities have not yet found a motive, Holly’s digital footprint is telling of his disturbing mindset leading up to the shoot. The Sept. 12 report published by the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism discovered that Holly had been active on an “online gore forum,” where individuals could share and view violent content, since 2024.
According to the report, Holly had also expressed neo-Nazi views online, had social media accounts, “filled with white supremacist symbolism,” and posted his collection of tactical gear, riddled with extremist symbols, only months before the Denver shooting.
Prior to the report, The ADL alerted the FBI in July regarding Holly’s internet posts and activity, before their was enough information to conclude the fact that the activity was in fact his.
In a statement to 9NEWS Investigates, the FBI National Press Office spoke about receiving the tip and opening an investigation.
“In July 2025, the FBI opened an assessment into a social media account user whose identity was unknown and who was discussing the planning of a mass shooting with threats non-specific in nature,” said the statement, “During the assessment investigation, the identity of the account user remained unknown, and thus there was no probable cause for arrest or additional law enforcement action at the federal level.”
