Troubling warnings preceded Colorado shooting

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KUSA) – A Douglas County School District letter describes a list of serious concerns from a parent who feared there may be “a repeat of Columbine” at STEM School Highlands Ranch months before Tuesday’s fatal shooting.

Two shooters walked into the school Tuesday and opened fire on their classmates in “two separate locations,” according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting left one student, 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo, dead and eight others injured.

Daniel Winsor, director of choice planning at Douglas County School District, wrote the letter on December 19, 2018. It was sent to STEM School Executive Director Penelope Eucker.

In the letter Winsor outlines an anonymous call from a parent made to Douglas County School Board of Education Director Wendy Vogel.

According to the letter, the parent told Vogel the school has issues with bullying, drug use and violence.

“Many students are suicidal and violent in school,” the letter says, citing the parent’s phone call.

The letter also outlines concerns about the “high pressure” environment at the school. It says the parent called it “the perfect-storm” and “expressed concerns about a repeat of Columbine or Arapahoe.”