Who Is Austin Lyle? Denver School Shooting Suspect Found Dead

• Austin Lyle was accused of wounding two administrators in a shooting at East High School in Denver on Wednesday morning.
• After Lyle fled the scene, he was found dead near his vehicle in a remote wooded area on Wednesday evening.
• Officials said the school shooting occurred as administrators were searching Lyle for weapons as part of a "safety plan."

The body of a 17-year-old student accused of wounding two administrators in a Wednesday morning shooting at his Denver high school was found dead in a remote wooded area, authorities said.

The Park County coroner's office confirmed in a Facebook post early Thursday that the body was Austin Lyle's. Authorities said the body was discovered on Wednesday evening not far from Lyle's car in a mountain area near the small town of Bailey, in Park County.

Lyle's next of kin have been notified, the coroner's office said. His cause of death was not released, pending the completion of an autopsy. A law enforcement source told Denver TV station KUSA that Lyle died of an apparent suicide.

Lyle was wanted on a charge of attempted homicide following the shooting at East High School just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Denver Police Department tweeted alongside a photo.

At a news conference, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said Lyle was being patted down for weapons by school administrators in an office area when he pulled out a gun and opened fire, then fled the scene.

"This particular student actually had a safety plan that was in place, where they were to be searched at the beginning of the school day every day," Thomas told reporters.

Lyle transferred to East High School after being disciplined and removed from Overland High School in nearby Aurora for a violation of board policy during the last school year, Cherry Creek School District spokesperson Abbe Smith told Newsweek.

Smith did not elaborate, citing protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Officials did not give specific details about why Lyle was searched daily, but Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said during the news conference that safety plans for students are a response to "past educational and also behavioral experiences" and that it's a common practice in public schools.

When the shooting occurred, officials said paramedics were already on the scene responding to a student having an allergic reaction.

"So they were able to immediately administer support and treatment to those who had been wounded," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said.

The victims, both men, were taken to a hospital. Thomas said that one was listed in critical condition and undergoing surgery and the other was in serious but stable condition.

Heather Burke, a spokesperson for Denver Health hospital, told the AP that one of the victims has since been released and the other was in serious condition.

Wednesday's shooting came after the school's students marched in support of stricter gun laws earlier this month after 16-year-old student Luis Garcia was fatally shot while sitting in a car near the school on February 13.

This week's incident also came three years after Denver Public Schools decided to eliminate a program that put armed police officers in school buildings, relying instead on the district's security team.

Two armed police officers will be assigned to East High School, where classes will be canceled for the rest of the week, through the end of the school year, Marrero said during the news conference.

In a letter to the city's Board of Education, he said that his decision violated the district's policies but that he "can no longer stand on the sidelines," the AP reported. "I am the leader of this district who is charged with keeping our scholars and staff safe every day," he wrote.

In a statement, the school board said it backed Marrero's decision "to work in partnership with local law enforcement to create safer learning spaces across Denver Public Schools for the remainder of this school year."

In response to a request for further comment, a board spokesperson told Newsweek its president, Xochitl Gaytan, and Marrero will answer questions at a press conference Thursday afternoon.

During a briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to the shooting by repeating President Joe Biden's calls for stricter gun laws, including an assault weapons ban.

"It is time, way past time, for Congress to do something," she said.

Newsweek has contacted the Denver Police Department and Marrero for further comment via email.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text 988 to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

Update 3/27/23, 11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with information from a Cherry Creek School District spokesperson.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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