STEM Suspects Prepare for Second Court Appearance

Intersectionality, accessibility, and squashing the sexist, patriarchal norms through queer…

The two students who have been arrested under suspicion of opening fire inside a Highlands Ranch STEM school will be back in court Wednesday, May 15, after the district attorney rescheduled their original appearance from last Friday, May 10.

The suspects are 18-year-old Devon Erickson and 16-year-old Alec McKinney, who were classmates and attended the STEM School together. They will be returning to court for their second appearance. McKinnney, who is a trans male born with the name Maya, is a minor and was last seen with his mother in court last week. Both suspects have been held under custody, without bail options, since their arrest.

During the shooting, a fatal shot was fired as teen Kendrick Castillo reportedly lunged at Erickson once he pulled a handgun out in the middle of class. As a result of Castillo’s actions, this allowed time for other students to take cover and ultimately led to the apprehension of the suspects.

While the reasons for the school attack have yet to be unearthed, many believe that it was due to Erickson’s political and social views, as well as internal problems at the school. In 2014, Erickson took to Facebook, stating his “hatred” for Christians and their views on gay people.

“You know what I hate? All these Christians who hate gays, yet in the bible, it says in Deuteronomy 17:12-13, if someone doesn’t do what their priest tells them to do, they are supposed to die,” he said in the post. “It has plenty of crazy stuff like that. But all they get out of it is ‘ewwwwww gays.’”

Daniel Ramos, executive director of One Colorado, said in a statement to OUT FRONT that the reporting on this case have been narrowing in on the wrong details.

“This is another tragic story in Colorado history, as we mourn those lost and impacted by gun violence,” said Ramos. “While the media’s focus has shifted to the gender identity or orientation of the suspects, families are mourning those lost, and parents are discussing school shootings with their kids as they tuck them in to bed. We can no longer ignore the need for adequate mental health services and sensible gun policies.”

OUT FRONT will be watching closely and breaking details of the court hearings as the proceedings continue.