Colorado authorities decline gun charges against parents of Evergreen High School shooter

Crime

Colorado authorities decline gun charges against parents of Evergreen High School shooter

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the revolver used in the shooting was kept in a locked safe. DNA testing failed to link the parents to the weapon.

Bradford Betz Fox News

Published

February 5, 2026 8:09am EST

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Colorado authorities said Wednesday they will not pursue gun-related charges against the parents of a teenager who wounded two students — both of whom sustained life-threatening injuries — during a shooting at a high school last fall, citing insufficient evidence.

The parents of Desmond Holly, 16, were reviewed for possible charges tied to firearm access or storage following the Sept. 10 shooting at Evergreen High School, but investigators determined there was no basis to move forward, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.

Holly opened fire at the school in Evergreen, Colorado, located about 30 miles west of Denver, before shooting himself. He later died from his injuries.

Investigators said the firearm used — a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver — was kept in a locked gun safe. Authorities said DNA testing also failed to link either parent to the weapon.

FORMER UVALDE SCHOOL OFFICER SAYS HE DOESN'T REGRET ACTIONS AFTER NOT GUILTY VERDICT

flowers at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colo.

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

According to investigators, the revolver was a family heirloom, and Holly did not have regular access to the safe.

The sheriff’s office said the parents initially spoke with authorities immediately after the shooting, and later provided written responses through legal counsel.

School shooting at Evergreen High School

FILE: Students reunite with loved ones and classmates outside Bergen Meadow Elementary School after a shooting at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colo., on Sept. 10, 2025. At least three students were injured, including the suspected shooter, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Officials said the shooting did not appear to target specific individuals and was carried out at random.

The suspected shooter who fired a revolver at a high school in the Denver suburbs and injured two students has been identified as a 16-year-old boy who had been radicalized by an "extremist network," law enforcement officials said Thursday. (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office / Getty Images)

Early in the investigation, authorities said Holly may have been influenced by an unspecified extremist network. Investigators later concluded he was not aligned with any particular extremist ideology, but had developed an online fixation on previous school shooters.

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The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism reviewed Holly’s online activity and reported that he had engaged with violent online content and referenced past mass shootings, including the 1999 Columbine High School attack. Evergreen High School is located in the same county as Columbine.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the family’s attorney for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.

Colorado authorities decline gun charges against parents of Evergreen High School shooter