No Gun Charges for Parents After Colorado School Shooting

Colorado law enforcement announced on Wednesday that they will not press gun-related charges against the parents of a teenager involved in a high school shooting last fall, due to lack of evidence. The incident, which took place at Evergreen High School, resulted in two students being critically injured.

The parents of 16-year-old Desmond Holly were investigated for potential charges related to firearm access and storage following the September 10 shooting. However, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office concluded that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges.

During the incident, Holly opened fire at the school in Evergreen, Colorado, approximately 30 miles west of Denver, before turning the gun on himself. He succumbed to his injuries later on.

Investigators discovered that the weapon used in the shooting, a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver, had been stored in a locked gun safe. Additionally, DNA testing did not connect either parent to the firearm.

Flowers are left in remembrance of those wounded in a shooting at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin)

The investigation revealed that the revolver was a family heirloom, and Holly did not regularly access the safe. The parents cooperated with authorities after the shooting and provided written responses through their legal representation.

Following the incident, students were reunited with their families and peers at Bergen Meadow Elementary School.

Officials indicated that Holly’s actions were random, rather than targeting specific individuals. Initial suspicions suggested that Holly might have ties to an extremist network, but investigators later determined he was not affiliated with any specific extremist ideology. Nonetheless, he had a troubling online interest in notorious school shootings.

The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism reviewed Holly’s online interactions and found evidence of his engagement with violent content, including references to the infamous 1999 Columbine High School attack, which occurred in the same county as Evergreen High School.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the family’s attorney for a statement. This article includes contributions from the Associated Press.