Colorado Teen Shooter’s Deadly Rampage Ends in Suicide at Evergreen High School
Shy Student’s Social Media Gun Posts Ignored Before Critically Wounding Classmates
September 12, 2025 - The Denver Gazette
JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO. — On Wednesday, September 10th at 12:30 p.m., 16-year-old Evergreen High School student Desmond Holly allegedly entered his school armed with a revolver and opened fire on classmates, critically injuring two students before turning the gun on himself. He later died at the hospital, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. “I have to believe when you bring a gun to school and you continue to fire and reload, you are on a mission,” said Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Jacki Kelley at a Thursday news conference, noting the community was “incredibly fortunate more people were not injured.”
The shooting shocked the small mountain town of Evergreen, Colorado, leaving parents weeping as they reunited with children who had fled for their lives. A vigil that evening drew hundreds, where former classmates described Holly as a shy, isolated figure. “He wasn’t a happy person,” said Gentry Kaber, a former classmate, adding, “He would have his hood up, he would just mope around, not very talkative, just stay to himself.”
Warning signs emerged on social media: Five days prior, Holly posted a photo of a handgun—identified as the same .38 special revolver used in the attack—to his confirmed X account, captioned “Little .38 special I got.” He reposted it without a caption just over an hour before the shooting.
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