January 22, 2016
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ARAPAHOE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING
Reports claim missteps before attack
Procedures were not followed, warning signs were missed, say researchers By Jennifer Smith jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com Three separate and independent reports have concluded there were failures in the Arapahoe High School administration’s handling of Karl Pierson in the months and even years before Dec. 13, 2013. That was the day he walked through a door, which the district acknowledges should have been locked, with a gun and fatally wounded fellow student Claire Davis moments before killing himself.
Pierson “was deemed low risk using insufficient data that was gathered.” That was just one of the conclusions reached in the 108-page report by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. The CSPV study was commissioned by Claire Davis’ family, and is arguably harsher than the two others prepared at the request of Littleton Public Schools — one by mental-health consultant Dr. Sarah Kanan and one by security consultant Safe Havens. All three reports were released on Jan. 18 after months of arbitration and depositions came to a close. “In retrospect and with the benefit of a great deal more information than was available at the time, we now
understand that some warning signs were missed by those both inside and outside of LPS,” writes Superintendent Brian Ewert in a fourth report addressing communication during and after the incident. “We are profoundly sorry that this may have contributed to the loss of two students’ lives that day.” The first three reports all agree that procedures were not followed that could have interrupted Pierson’s plot, which he embarked on and began journaling about that September. The reports were released 15 months after the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office concluded there was no criminal wrongdoing on the part of Arapahoe High or school district officials.
CLAIRE DAVIS’ PARENTS SPEAK Michael and Desiree Davis, the parents of Arapahoe High School shooting victim Claire Davis, hope the reports released Jan. 18 will encourage a change in thinking about safety in public schools. Last year, the couple agreed not to hold the school district liable in exchange for the arbitration process and making the reports public. “(We hope) to challenge parents, administrators, teachers and legislators to embrace a caring, tolerant and compassionate culture that empowers our schools to intervene and help kids in crisis,” they said in the preface to the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence report. “Going through the arbitration process was our gift to the State of Colorado. It is now up to the parents of public school students, school administrators and our state legislators to take the recommendations in this report and implement them — to put into practice the things we have learned from this report so that all the children are safe from harm in our public schools.”
Arapahoe continues on Page 4
Area thefts connected to national crime spree Florida-based Felony Lane Gang is behind recent car break-ins, sheriff’s office believes Staff report
South Metro Fire Rescue’s Rich Arbuckle gets direction from his tenders, from left, Mark Grafitti of West Metro Fire Rescue and Jack Rainalter of South Metro Fire Rescue, during the yearly ice dive. The regional dive team training exercise, which took place this year at Big Soda Lake at Bear Creek Lake Park in Morrison on Jan. 11, also included firefighters from Westminster Fire Department. Courtesy photo
Firefighters prep for underwater rescues Regional rescue divers participate in training exercise at Big Soda Lake
By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com Fire rescue dive team members are not called upon often, but when they’re needed, they’re needed urgently. To keep skills sharp, West Metro Fire Rescue hosted the yearly ice dive — a regional dive team training exercise — on Jan. 11 at Big Soda Lake at Bear Creek Lake Park in Morrison. About 15 firefighters represented Westminster Fire Department, West Metro Fire Rescue and South Metro Fire Rescue. Ice continues on Page 4
ICE SAFETY TIPS Because of constantly changing temperatures and water movement, ice is never really safe. If you see someone or an animal fall through the ice, do not go out onto the ice to help them. Those who try to help often become victims themselves.
What to do if you fall in:
Here is how you can help:
• Once out, roll away from the hole. Crawl back toward solid ice, keeping your weight evenly distributed to avoid breaking through the ice again.
• Call 911 immediately. Firefighters have special suits and equipment to make ice rescues. • Mark where the person is in the water by lining up their location in the water with an object on the far shore. • Throw a flotation device attached to a rope, extend a long tree branch, pole, jumper cables or ladder to the person if you can reach them with these from shore.
• Don’t panic. Loudly call for help. • Turn back the way you came in and put your hands and arms on the unbroken surface and work forward by kicking your feet.
A national organized crime ring has been linked to recent thefts in the south metro area. The Felony Lane Gang, based in south Florida, is suspected of three crimes in Centennial last month, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. “These criminals target gyms, parks, day cares, shopping centers and other places frequented by women,” a sheriff’s office news release states. “They are often looking for vehicles that have been left briefly unattended and unlocked. They are specifically targeting purses and checkbooks and have left electronics and credit cards untouched.” While the suspects prefer unlocked vehicles, they will smash windows to gain entrance if needed, the sheriff’s office said. They are known to cash stolen checks at bank drive-through lanes. Incidents linked to the gang were reported the mornings of Dec. 17 and 18 at three locations in Centennial: the Thieves continues on Page 4
A HEALING TOUCH
• If you can’t get out, minimize body movement to preserve body heat until help arrives. Always keep dogs on a leash when walking them near bodies of water. Source: South Metro Fire Rescue Authority
Craig Hospital gives patients and their families a range of support. PAGE 12