Suspects at large after drive-by shooting at Colorado park sends 6 teens to hospital
(CNN) — Six teenagers were wounded in a shooting involving multiple suspects at a small park close to a high school in Aurora, Colorado, police Chief Vanessa Wilson said Monday.
Six students from Aurora Central High School, ranging in age from 14 to 18, went to the hospital. One student drove themselves, Wilson said.
She said investigators found shell casings from different caliber guns and witnesses said there were multiple suspicious vehicles.
“My understanding is it was a drive-by shooting, as well as there may have been people on foot,” Wilson said.
“I think enough is enough. And I think we need to come together as a community,” Wilson said. “This is a public health crisis.”
The shooting happened around 12:45 p.m., police spokesperson Matthew Longshore said.
School resource officers responded and applied a tourniquet to one victim, who went into surgery, the chief said.
The victims have non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said.
The shooting occurred at Nome Park, just north of Central High School, where officials enacted a secure perimeter, Aurora Police tweeted. An earlier post mistakenly said the school had gone into lockdown.
The city of Aurora’s website says Nome Park is 0.8 acres and features a playground and community garden.
Aurora Central High School had more than 2,000 students as of 2019, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
One witness who lives near the park told CNN affiliate KCNC he heard dozens of shots.
“It’s sad to see young people just throwing their lives away for nothing,” Henry Martinez said. “I’m sad about that. … Heard like 30-50 shots. It was hard to count with them coming so fast like that, but at least 30.”
The Aurora Police Department is asking for any information, as well as home surveillance camera footage, as the incident is investigated, Wilson said. She also asked students to come forward with information.
“I’m hoping that there’s kids out there that know why this happened. That know what this situation was and can actually share information with us,” the chief said.