November 22, 2021

USA: 6 Teens Wounded In Drive-By Shooting In A Park Near Denver High School. Days Later 3 Shot In Aurora High School Parking Lot. Three 16 Year Olds Arrested On Attempted First-Degree Murder Charges

Denver7 – The Denver Channel published November 19, 2021: In-Depth: More gun violence in Aurora with 9 students shot this week. On Friday, three students were injured in a shooting in the parking lot of Hinkley HIgh School in Aurora. Just this week, nine students have been.
FOX31 Denver published November 19, 2021: Hinkley High School shooting has community fearful — but unsurprised. After a shooting that wounded three students in the Hinkley High School parking lot, parents and students are worried about what this means for the future of kids learning on campus. Courtney Fromm reports.
US News
written by Associated Press
Monday November 15, 2021

AURORA, Colo. — Six teenagers were wounded Monday in a drive-by shooting in a park near a suburban Denver high school, but all were expected to survive, police said.

The victims, who range in age from 14 to 18, are all students at Aurora Central High School in Aurora, a diverse city east of Denver, said police chief Vanessa Wilson. She said she needed everyone to be “outraged” by what happened and come forward with any information they might have to help police find those responsible.

Wilson asked neighbors and other bystanders to share any videos or photos from phones or house surveillance systems that might help detectives identify the suspects, who haven’t been apprehended.

Multiple rounds fired from different guns were found at the scene, and it is possible some rounds were fired by someone on foot, she said.

Police officers assigned to the school were the first to respond to the shooting and saved the life of one victim by applying a tourniquet, Wilson said. That student later underwent emergency surgery, she said.

Wilson said she’s relieved the students are expected to survive but said gun violence is a public health crisis.

“There is a violence crisis across the nation right now, and so I think we all need to pay attention,” she said.

Three patients from the shooting were taken to Children's Hospital Colorado. They were in stable condition and have all been reunited with their families, spokesperson Caitlin Jenney said.

Several students hugged one another outside the school as staff and police ushered students away from the direction of the crime scene. Others shouted “Stay safe” as they parted ways.

Student Aariah McClain, 15, said she heard gunfire as she was walking near the school's football field during lunch. She heard four shots at first, so she started walking toward the school. Then she said she heard “a whole lot more," she said.

“I was shocked," she said of the shooting, as she waited outside the school with her father, Harold McClain, for her 14-year-old sister to be dismissed.

“I work and we pay taxes for these police to be here. I don’t see how this is even happening," Harold McClain said. “They need more security.”

The school was put on a “secure perimeter” because of the shooting, police said. That typically means no one is allowed in or out of a school but students and staff are able to move freely within the building.

Evette Mitchell, 47, rushed to the school to get her son, Trevell, 15. He was in gym class when he heard the gunshots, and the teacher escorted them to the smaller gym.

“I did 90 (mph) on the highway,” she said, “because I didn’t know if it was my kid or not.”

Mitchell said she is frustrated because another shooting involving three teens happened near the school on a recent weekend. Mitchell added parents get blamed for youth violence, but there are no affordable activities offered for students in the area.

“Everything costs. We’re all low-income families so it’s hard for us to find something for these kids to do,” said Mitchell, who said her son was going to be in online classes for the rest of the week because of the shooting.

According to U.S. News and World Report's high school rankings, 67% of the school's approximately 2,000 students are considered economically disadvantaged, qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Michelle Marin, who lives across the street from the school, said she walks her dog at the park almost every morning and sees students hanging out there all the time, “but you never think something like that’s going to happen.”

“We have seen some lockdowns but nothing with the caution tape or anything like that,” Marin said.

The shooting comes after an 18-year-old died after being shot about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away on Sunday night.

A shooting was also reported Friday in the parking lot of an Aurora mall, but police only found several shell casings when they arrived.
Denver Gazette
written by David Mullen and Julia Cardi
Saturday November 20, 2021

Three people were shot Friday afternoon at Hinkley High School. The victims’ injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, according to the Aurora Police Department.

The shootings came just four days after six students were wounded in Nome Park near Aurora Central High School.

Police received word of the shooting at the school, located at 1250 S. Chambers Road, around noon, Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said in a news conference Friday. Two victims were taken to a local hospital and a third person took themselves to get care at the hospital, the department said in tweets.

The three people are all under 18. Two are students at Hinkley, while the third is a student at APS Avenues, Wilson said. Police are still determining who is a suspect and who is a victim.

Wilson said the shootings are believed to have stemmed from a fight in the parking lot. A district security officer fired at the shooter and applied a tourniquet to one of the people shot. Wilson said police did not immediately know whether Friday’s shootings are connected to Monday’s attack at Nome Park

Late Friday, police announced that a 16-year-old male had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in the Hinkley shooting, but no further information was available.

Police are still looking for the suspects behind Monday's shooting, although one vehicle of interest has been found. Police have located a white pickup truck that is believed to be connected with Friday’s shooting.

Wilson said that following Friday’s shooting, threats were made on social media toward Gateway and Rangeview high schools. She pleaded with parents to stay aware of their children’s activity online because of suspicions they may be able to acquire guns using social media.

“These are our kids that are shooting one another. We have disrespect and no concern for life whatsoever,” Wilson said. “I need the parents to get involved, I need you checking phones, I need you checking rooms, I need you checking cars and making sure they’re taking these guns away from kids.”

Junior Angela Flores told The Denver Gazette she had decided to leave school for the day because things were wrapping up for Thanksgiving break. She had just gotten back from the store with her mother when they got word of the shootings.

News of two shootings this week involving Aurora high school children has students and parents shaken. Flores said the attacks at Hinkley and near Central make her scared to come back from the holiday break in case there’s another shooting.

“What would have happened if I’d stayed? It would’ve been terrifying, to be honest,” she said.

Parent Daniel Younge, whose 16-year-old daughter attends Hinkley, said the shootings make him want the school to return to online learning.

“I want them to go back online if this is going to keep happening. If this is going to be a recurring thing, I’m going to be upset with it, especially if mine get hurt.”

18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner said in a statement his office is committed to “using every tool we have” to prosecute anyone connected with the attacks.

“This is the second shooting in Aurora this week that has impacted students’ ability to feel safe at school. No child or teenager should be fearful just going to class — a normal activity we can all relate to.”

Aurora City Manager Jim Twombly called for a commitment of time and resources to the city’s Youth Violence Prevention Program and public safety, saying investment in the safety of children is everyone’s responsibility.

“This week’s violence near our schools is heartbreaking and I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish experienced by the victims and their families,” he said. “In addition, teachers and students at our schools are impacted by this outbreak of violence.”

Wilson was headed to a peaceful march at Kenton Elementary School in response to Monday’s shooting when Friday’s events unfolded. She said she’s tired of the shootings and wants change.

The march was canceled after news of Friday’s shooting broke.

“Obviously we were all shaken by what happened on Monday. As we’re driving to a peace march we have another,” Wilson said. “I’m very frustrated and I think everyone in this community should be very angry.”
written by Staff
Sunday November 21, 2021

Aurora police arrested two more suspects Sunday in connection with a shooting at Hinkley High School that left three students wounded, according to the city's police department.

Three people have been charged in the shooting, and police said they are searching for others who may have been involved.

All of the suspects are 16 years old and face charges of attempted murder, police said. None of the suspects' names have been released.

The shooting occurred Friday during a fight in the school parking lot. Two of the people who were shot are students at Hinkley, while the third is a student at APS Avenues.

In a separate shooting, six teenagers were shot and wounded Monday at a park near Aurora Central High School.

Investigators have not yet made any arrests in that shooting and have said they do not know whether the two attacks were connected.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

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