Denver area sees more school shootings by population than nation’s largest metro areas, analysis shows

During a 6 a.m. news conference the day after Colorado’s latest school shooting, District Attorney George Brauchler made a point of declaring the tragedies that have rocked the area in recent years don’t define the “kind, compassionate, caring people” who live here.

“If you had suggested to anyone behind me or in this room that, within 20 years in 20 miles, we would have dealt with Columbine, the Aurora theater, Arapahoe High School, the shooting of Zack Parrish and four other deputies, we’d have thought you mad,” he said. “And yet here we are again.”

Tuesday’s shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch, which ended with one student dead, eight others injured and two of their classmates in custody, prompted Coloradans to once again question whether these types of mass shootings are more prevalent here than elsewhere.

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Ultimately, it’s nearly impossible to be sure if a place is at a higher risk going forward, said Frank Farley, a professor of psychological studies in education at Temple University in Pennsylvania.

If Columbine did place the Denver area at a higher risk for future shootings, the only thing parents and schools can do is consider responses, like increasing school security and reducing access to weapons, he said.

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