1 of 2 | Authorities on Thursday identified the suspect accused of conducting a school shooting in Evergreen, Colo., on Wednesday as Desmond Holly, 16. Photo courtesy of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office/X
Authorities have identified the suspect who critically injured two people Wednesday in a school shooting in Colorado, saying the 16-year-old gunman had been “radicalized by some extremist network.”
Jacki Kelley, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, speaking to reporters Thursday in an update on the shooting, did not elaborate further on a potential motive, but said she wanted to offer a bit about his “mindset” that may have driven him to shoot up Evergreen High School during lunch on Wednesday.
Two people were critically injured in the shooting, and the gunman was found dead at the scene from a suspected self-inflicted injury.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office identified the gunman as Desmond Holly, who was a student at the school in Evergreen, located about 30 miles southwest of Denver. The office published the suspect’s photo to its X account.
The Evergreen High School shooter has been identified as 16 year-old Desmond Holly. pic.twitter.com/h0tXtrUYvj— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) September 11, 2025
Kelley told reporters that the two victims injured in the shooting were still in critical condition.
One of the victims has been identified by their family as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone. His family in a statement asked the public for privacy “as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead.”
This is a statement from the family of 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone, one of the victims from the shootings at Evergreen High School:
“The family appreciates the community’s concern and support, but as we remain focused on our loved one’s recovery, we respectfully request… pic.twitter.com/FYfqBQtgWC— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) September 11, 2025
The sheriff’s office had on Wednesday reported a third victim, but Kelley on Thursday said that information was incorrect.
Kelley was unsure of how many bullets were fired during the shooting, but suggested it was a lot. The suspect was armed with only a handgun, requiring him to frequently reload, which he did.
“He would fire and reload, fire and reload, fire and reload. This went on and on. And as he did that, he tried to find new targets,” she said.
“The suspect’s gun was fired a lot,” she added. “The reason why we have so many crime scene areas inside is because we have windows that were shot out, we have lockers that were shot up, we are finding spent rounds, unspent rounds — so, it’s a huge area.”
One of the victims was shot inside the school and the other outside, she said.
Search warrants had been issued for the suspect’s residence, phone and locker, but Kelley would not state if any evidence found. She also said the suspect had taken the bus to school prior to the shooting.
She also confirmed that the school had a full-time resource officer, but he was on medical leave, requiring a few part-time SROs to fill the role.
The SRO working Wednesday had been called out of the school at around 10:45 a.m. to attend to a nearby accident.
Kelley credited the school shooting training of teachers and staff and their responsiveness for preventing the incident from becoming a worse tragedy.
“We’re very, very grateful that there were not more injuries but saddened there were any,” she said.
