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December 19, 2013 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 27, Issue 5 A publication of
highlandsranchherald.net
WOUNDED WARRIORS
Victim fighting for life By Chris Rotar and Jennifer Smith Staff writers
A girl is comforted by a friend outside Shepherd of the Hills Church after the shootings at Arapahoe High School on Dec. 13. Tearful reunions were a common sight at the church, where parents were instructed to pick up their kids. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
Shooting shakes community Staff report One minute and 20 seconds changed lives forever. A girl shot in the head, left in critical condition. A young man dead by his own hand, his own gun, after bringing horror to the hallways of his school. Shaken teenagers filed out of the school into the cold, some barefoot. Family and friends wondered if their loved ones had been hurt, or worse. On Dec. 13, a community was left disturbed, heartbroken, changed. Arapahoe High School, home of the Warriors, was a crime scene for nearly three days. The shooting in Centennial came a day before the one-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass slayings and less than 10 miles from where the Columbine massacre occurred more than 14 years ago. This gunman’s target, by most accounts, was a member of the school’s faculty who reportedly had laid down discipline against the student. But Karl Pierson, a Highlands Ranch resident, was prepared to take out more than one man along the way, authorities believe. Many more. Like a lot of Arapahoe students, Pierson carried a backpack into school Dec. 13. His, however, was filled with three explosive devices — Molotov cocktails. Pierson also carried a machete and plenty of ammunition for his pump-action shotgun, the weapon he used to change the life of student Claire Davis, who clings to that life in a local hospital. Pierson purchased the firearm on Dec. 6 at a local retail outlet, legal because he was 18 years old, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said. He had purchased at least some of the ammunition the morning of the shooting. Davis, 17, may have just been in the way — it’s not clear if Pierson even knew the fellow senior at the school of more than 2,000 students. Pierson’s ultimate goal, the sheriff says, was
They sit near each other in Spanish class, but Kaylee Eastridge says she doesn’t know Claire Davis well. “She’s quiet, but she’s very friendly,” Eastridge, a junior at Arapahoe High School, said. “I know she has a lot of friends.” That was apparent to anyone visiting Arapahoe High the afternoon of Dec. 15. Signs of support were everywhere for Davis, the 17-year-old Arapahoe senior who two days earlier was shot in the head at point-blank range. Davis was in critical condition, in a coma, at Littleton Adventist Hospital as of Dec. 16. At the high school on Dec. 15, paper cups jammed between holes in a fence were arranged to say “Pray 4 Claire.” Hanging from the same fence, just a few feet away, was a Christmas stocking. On the ground below rested bouquets of flowers. It wasn’t immediately known who was behind the kind gestures or when they occurred, but it’s clear the community is united in its hope for a recovery for Davis, known for being a sweet person and for her love of horses. According to Davis’ Facebook page, she’s a member of the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association and attended Vellshire Riding School. Davis was shot by Karl Pierson, an Arapahoe student, who about a minute later, killed himself. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson believes a faculty member and not Davis was the primary target, but that Pierson, 18, was prepared to kill as many people as possible. Pierson entered the school from the north entrance, near the library. He quickly encountered Davis, who never had a chance to get away, the sheriff Victim continues on Page 8
Arapahoe High School students file out of the Centennial school after being evacuated Dec. 13 following a shooting at thes chool. Photo by George Lurie to kill Tracy Murphy, the coach of the speech and debate team, a librarian. They had a disagreement and Pierson made threats in September that were reported to authorities. Here’s what the sheriff said happened in 80 seconds: Around 12:30 p.m., Dec. 13, Pierson entered the school through a door adjacent to the library on the north side of the building and immediately shot a random round down a hallway. He then walked up to Davis and shot her point blank. Murphy, made aware he was a likely target, was quickly warned of the gunman’s presence and made his way out of the school to safety. Pierson wasn’t hiding his shotgun or his intentions as he approached the library. Pierson then took another random shot, went directly to the library and set off one of the bombs, which set at least three bookshelves on fire. He shot another round, but by now he could hear school resource officer James Englert — an Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy — heading toward him at full speed. Robinson said the resource officer, along
with an unarmed security guard and two administrators, heard the first shot and immediately began running from the cafeteria to the library. The resource officer was screaming at students to get down and identifying himself as a deputy sheriff as he hustled toward the threat — he “went to the thunder,” Robinson said. As soon as Pierson heard the commotion coming toward him, he walked to a corner and shot himself. The sheriff called the quick response by the school resource officer and the others “heroic” and said it likely saved many lives. “(Pierson) wanted to hurt multiple people,” the sheriff said. “His intent was evil.” The threat was over in one minute and 20 seconds, investigators determined after viewing security camera footage. But the chaos was just getting started.
Claire Esther Davis, shown here in a photo provided by her family to the Arapahoe County Sheriff ’s Office, remained in critical condition from a gunshot wound as of Dec. 16.
Tears, fear, relief
Even after Pierson shot himself to death, Shooting continues on Page 8
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