Mountain town: More on Gunman (Six girls murder and sexual assault)
park county
Gunman ID'd, still no motive
By Kirk Mitchell
Denver Post Staff Writer
Platte Canyon High School students embrace outside the emergency room at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, where the victim of the shooting at their school was taken by helicopter. (Post / Cyrus McCrimmon)
The gunman in Wednesday's fatal school hostage situation has been identified as Duane R. Morrison, age 53.
Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said there was no known connection between Morrison and Platte Canyon High School.
Morrison had been living out of his vehicle, but had a Denver address, Wegener said at a morning press conference.
"He did traumatize and assault our children. This is why I made the decision I did. We had to go try and save them."
When asked how Morrison harmed the children, Wegener only said "it was sexual in nature."
VIDEO
Platte Canyon High School is in mourning after the standoff.
Eyewitnesses to the school attack talk about the tragedy, and describe the girl who was killed.
The hostage situation was reported around noon, during the school day at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey.
Wegener said that Morrison had set a 4 p.m. deadline and that SWAT team members moved in before that time, for fear of having two dead hostages. Morrison killed one of the hostages, then himself, when the tactical unit broke into the second-floor classroom where he was holed up.
Wegener said he had two weapons on him, a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver.
Wegener described the man as "something of a loner" and a "coward." He said Morrison had a minor criminal record and had been picked up on an outstanding warrant by other metro counties
Sophie Sasser, a student at Platte Canyon High School, is comforted by the hands of her mother, Mary after they were reunited at Deer Creek Elementary School. (Post / Kathryn Scott Osler)
over the summer, but he didn't know what for.
"I've gone from upset to angry. Angry that this man has done this to our community," Wegener said. "Angry that this man has done this to our children."
"This is something that has changed my school. My small community is gone," said Wegener.
Joe Morales, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, said investigators believe Morrison may have been living out of his jeep in the Bailey area recently.
"This guy sounds like he has been running around," Morales said. "He seemed to be somewhat familiar with the area."
Morrison had a lot of camping gear in the jeep.
"If the last time you talk to your child she says someone was shooting up her school, everything else just stands still," one parent said. (AP / David Zalubowski)
It shocked us all," said Morrison's brother-in-law, when contacted by The Denver Post.
"I've never seen anything like this from him before," said the brother-in-law, who asked not to be identified."
He said CBI agents came and spoke with him and his wife last night.
The man spoke briefly about Morrison, saying that he
good worker, who has been a carpenter for years. He has had a steady job for years, he said. The man said he did not think Morrison had been in trouble before.
He said Morrison was not married.
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