PUEBLO, CO – The suspect involved in a drive-by shooting at East High School in Pueblo Monday was found dead inside a van.
Police pulled the suspect vehicle over on northbound I-25 near mile marker 123 in El Paso County. Inside the vehicle was a Hispanic male driver who had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
One person was shot in the drive-by shooting but suffered only minor injuries. The victim was a teacher who police said was the target of the attack. Police have not confirmed whether the teacher was male or female. “That school staff member is okay, has been taken to a local hospital just to be checked for sure, but non-life threatening injuries and very minor actually,” says Sgt. Eric Gonzales with the Pueblo Police Department.
The school was immediately put on lockdown after the shooting at about 3 p.m., right after school was let out. Students were called inside to wait for their parents. D60 director of communications Dalton Sprouse says, “The top priority of protecting the safety of our children was something that they took very seriously and worked very hard to secure.”
Sprouse says the school will have added police security on Thursday, just in case. He adds, “We absolutely will make any psychiatric services available to our students as well to help them if they were traumatized with this event.”
No motive has been confirmed at this time and the shooting is still under investigation. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
___
ORIGINAL STORY
Pueblo Police Department is investigating a drive-by shooting that left one person injured at East High School Wednesday afternoon.
One Pueblo City Schools employee suffers minor injuries and is being transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The shooting happened on school grounds in a back parking lot shortly after school was released. There is no threat to the school at this time, according to police.
The Pueblo Police department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a van associated with a drive by shooting that took place behind East High School.
Officers arrived to find a staff member reported driving away when a male called their name and began firing.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male believed to be in his 20’s to 30’s. The van is described as a dark colored van with faded paint on top and a luggage rack. It has a light colored stripe down each side and some type of shiny rims.
Source: KOAA News 5. See more at KOAA.com.
