Charlie Kirk shot dead in Utah; 500 miles away, another shooting incident reported in a school

Just hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an event in Utah, another tragedy unfolded nearly 500 miles away in Colorado, where three people were killed in a school shooting.

Authorities said a student at Evergreen High School, located about 30 miles west of Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills, opened fire around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. The shooter wounded two classmates before turning the gun on himself. He later died from his injuries.

Shots were fired both inside and outside the school, according to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley. Deputies arrived within five minutes and located the shooter without exchanging fire. More than 100 officers from surrounding agencies rushed to the campus, which has over 900 students.


The two injured teens were initially listed in critical condition. By evening, one had stabilized with non-life-threatening injuries, hospital officials confirmed.

Parents anxiously gathered outside a nearby elementary school as reunifications took place. Some students fled the campus and sought refuge in nearby homes.

Resident Don Cygan said 18 students took shelter in his house after knocking on his door for help. “I hope they feel like they ran to the right house,” said Cygan, a retired educator who took down their names and calmed them while waiting for parents to arrive.

Evergreen, with a population of about 9,300, has rarely seen such violence. “It’s super scary,” said Wendy Nueman, whose daughter attends the school. “We feel like we live in a little bubble here. Obviously, no one is immune.”

The incident comes in a county still haunted by the 1999 Columbine High School shooting that killed 14 people.

Meanwhile, President Trump in a message on Charlie Kirk's assassination said, “I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived & died. The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law & the patriotic devotion & love of God.”