Witness Describes Final Moments of Evergreen High School Shooting

A tragic shooting incident occurred at Evergreen High School in Colorado on Wednesday, when a 16-year-old shooter, identified as Desmond Holly, engaged in a physical altercation with one of his victims before firing shots. The confrontation unfolded near an intersection behind the school, leading to a chaotic scene as law enforcement responded.

Delmer Martinez, a witness who was in the area for a roofing job, described the harrowing events to The Denver Post. During his lunch break, he observed two boys apparently fighting in the vicinity of Buffalo Park Road and South Olive Road. “I saw the guy, some teen, come out of a ditch, pulling another boy by the chest and throwing him against the street before firing a shot,” Martinez recounted in Spanish. Following the gunfire, he noted that the shooter began aiming at passing cars, which left him frightened as his vehicle was among the first on the scene.

Martinez captured a 32-second video at approximately 12:30 p.m. that shows the aftermath of the shooting, with Matthew Silverstone, 18, lying injured at the intersection. Law enforcement officers, armed and shouting commands, attempted to locate the shooter, who did not respond. “Only the police officer told him to drop his gun, but he wasn’t listening,” Martinez said. A single gunshot can be heard on the recording, which coincided with Holly turning the weapon on himself as authorities closed in.

According to Karlyn Tilley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Holly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after wounding Silverstone, who remains hospitalized alongside another victim yet to be publicly identified. The attack lasted approximately nine minutes, during which Holly fired about 20 rounds, starting at 12:24 p.m. when the first 911 call was made. Officers arrived on the scene within 2.5 minutes.

The investigation revealed that Holly acted alone and had exhibited signs of radicalization prior to the incident. His social media profiles displayed a concerning array of extremist views, including references to white supremacy and antisemitism, as well as admiration for other mass shootings, such as the tragic events at Columbine High School in 1999. In July 2023, the Anti-Defamation League alerted the FBI regarding social media accounts linked to Holly, which featured discussions about planning a mass shooting. However, the FBI did not identify Holly as the suspect and found no probable cause for further action before the shooting.

As a result of this devastating event, classes at Evergreen High School have been canceled for the week. School officials have not announced a reopening date but confirmed that a full-time resource officer from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will be assigned to the school once classes resume. The community is left grappling with the aftermath of this violent incident, highlighting ongoing concerns about youth radicalization and gun violence in schools.