16-year-old Desmond Holly, of Colorado outside Denver, now is the prime suspect in a shooting. This attack happened on the campus of Evergreen High School in Jefferson County. The attack left two other students critically wounded, and many others were injured. It has raised alarms about Holly’s disturbing social media commentary and potential motives. After the shooting, Holly is said to have killed himself with the gun.
Although the shooting unfolded on what would have been just another typical school day, the impact reverberated throughout the local community and beyond. Authorities received calls at approximately 10:30 AM regarding the gunfire, prompting a swift response from law enforcement and emergency services. The two wounded students were taken to area hospitals, where they are listed in critical condition.
It was Holly’s burgeoning online activity that kicked up the most suspicion flags for investigators. He was an active member of a forum known as Watch People Die. In this graphic space, users interacted with graphic user generated content, such as graphic videos and killings and shootings. Despite only making seven comments on the platform, Holly lied about his age to gain access to this extremist network.
Law enforcement has made clear that Holly’s interests went beyond a morbid fascination with violence. He did show a grand obsession with white supremacist ideologies. This was evident from his TikTok account, on which he displayed symbols associated with these extremist ideologies. His latest handle included an iteration of the white supremacist slogan, exposing even more his adherence to these far-right, lethal ideologies.
And in one such post, Holly included a — you guessed it — photo of the Wisconsin shooter. He wanted to convey his respect for that person through the caption. Aside from his devil horns, he wore a trumpet black T-shirt emblazoned with the word “WRATH.” Below, Holly shared images from her two patches. One of them depicts a Nazi-era symbol adopted by men behind several of the world’s most famous mass shootings, including the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand and the 2022 shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo.
Oren Segal, head of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, noted the parallels between Holly’s acts and the emerging patterns in violent extremism nationally. He stated, “There is a through-line between those attacks,” underscoring the potential influence of previous mass shootings on Holly’s actions.
Holly became enraptured by previous attacks, particularly the horrific 1999 Columbine High School massacre. This serious focus has sparked crucial conversations and questions about what radicalizes individuals. Reports claim that he was guided by this anonymous “extremist network.” This group probably cemented his rightward turn ideologically.
Even with these worrisome indicators, Holly doesn’t seem like a regular subscriber of the Watch People Die forum. His scant participation—just seven comments—suggests he was honestly still testing these waters more than he was all in.
The impact of this shooting has reverberated throughout the community, raising concerns about youth radicalization and the influence of online platforms. Local authorities are working diligently to provide support to the affected families while investigating the full scope of Holly’s motivations.
As investigations are ongoing, Holly’s family could not be reached for comment. Our community continues to be in recovery following this preventing happening. They are asking for accountability in order to ensure that these kinds of incidents don’t happen again.