Colorado School Shooting: Why the Shooter’s Parents Won’t Be Charged with Gun Crimes

DENVER – Authorities announced Wednesday that the parents of a 16-year-old involved in a shooting at a Colorado high school will not face criminal charges. The teen, who injured two students with a vintage revolver, accessed the weapon reportedly stored in a secured gun safe.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated whether Desmond Holly’s parents could be held accountable for the teenager’s access to the Smith & Wesson .38 special revolver or for improper storage. However, the investigation concluded there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges.

Holly tragically took his own life following the incident at Evergreen High School on September 10.

During the investigation, authorities were unable to detect the parents’ DNA on the firearm, following a court-mandated collection of their DNA samples. According to the family’s attorney, the revolver, considered a family heirloom from a grandparent, was stored securely at the back of a large, locked safe. Holly only had limited access to the safe when his father opened it, the lawyer explained.

Douglas Richards, the family’s attorney, conveyed to The Associated Press that the family believes Holly might have discreetly retrieved the gun while assisting his father with cleaning other firearms.

“Its disappearance didn’t become apparent until after the tragedy,” Richards said.

The sheriff’s office said investigators weren’t able to speak with the parents. Richards said the parents spoke with authorities right after the shooting and later answered questions in writing because he didn’t want them interviewed further unless there was a prosecutor present.

Investigators believe Holly randomly shot at students at the high school in the foothills about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Denver, sheriff’s office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said Wednesday.

At the time, the sheriff’s office said that Holly had been radicalized by an unspecified “extremist network.”

Kelley said the investigation showed that Holly had an obsession with other school shooters and had engaged with a mix of online groups but was not committed to any particular kind of radicalization. She referred further questions about those findings to the FBI, which handled that portion of the probe. The agency said a reporter would have to file a records request to obtain more information.

A report by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism found that Holly had been active on an online forum where users watch videos of killings and violence, mixed in with content on white supremacism and antisemitism. It found Holly was also fascinated with previous mass shootings including the 1999 Columbine High School massacre that killed 14 people, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away from Evergreen.