Colorado School Shooting
A
makeshift tribute site bears the name of severely wounded student
Claire Davis, who was shot by a classmate during school three days
earlier in an attack, in front of Arapahoe High School in Centennial,
Colo., Monday, Dec. 16, 2013. Davis, age 17, was shot in the head at
close range with a shotgun, and remains in a coma. (AP Photo/Brennan
Linsley)
LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) - A suburban Denver high school student who was
shot in the head by a classmate died Saturday afternoon, hospital
officials said in a statement.
Claire Davis, 17, was in critical condition after being shot at
point-blank range at Arapahoe High School on Dec. 13. Friends and
well-wishers had posted prayers online and raised money to help pay for
her medical care.
"It is with heavy hearts that we share that at 4:29 p.m. this afternoon,
Claire Davis passed away, with her family at her side," the statement
from Littleton Adventist Hospital.
"Despite the best efforts of our physicians and nursing staff, and
Claire's fighting spirit, her injuries were too severe and the most
advanced medical treatments could not prevent this tragic loss of life.
Claire's death is immensely heartbreaking for our entire community, our
staff and our families."
Karl Pierson, 18, shot Davis, who just happened to be sitting nearby
with a friend as Pierson, armed with a shotgun, ammunition strapped to
his body, Molotov cocktails and a machete, entered the school and headed
toward the library. Davis appeared to be a random target, Arapahoe
County Sheriff Grayson Robinson has said.
Pierson likely intended to track down a librarian who had disciplined
him, but Robinson said Pierson's arsenal suggested Pierson intended to
hurt many others at the school just 8 miles from Columbine High School.
Pierson set off one of the incendiary devices and fired five shots
before killing himself just one minute and 20 seconds after entering the
building. He knew a sheriff's deputy assigned to the school was closing
in, Robinson said at a news conference.
Senior Chris Davis, who is not related to Claire Davis, said she loved
horses, had a lot of friends and always seemed happy. Chris Davis, whose
locker is next to Claire's, helped organize a fundraising effort for
her family.
Students held vigils for Davis after the shooting. Typical was a story told by classmate Maggie Hurlbut.
"One time I remember I was upset in the hallway, and she came up to me
and she just - it was like, 'Hey Maggie, I know we don't know each other
well but are you doing OK?' And I told her yeah, and she was like,
'Anything you need, I'm here for you,'" Hurlbut said. "Again, that's who
she is, and she just wants to take care of others, and that was really
just a good representation of her character and who she was."
Gov. John Hickenlooper visited Davis and her family at the hospital and had asked for prayers.
Sheriff Robinson called Davis "a young woman of principle" and "an innocent young lady."
Pierson's original target was believed to be a librarian who coached the
school's speech and debate team. Pierson was a skilled speaker and
debater on the team. The librarian, whose name was not released, had
disciplined the teen in September for reasons that haven't been
disclosed. Robinson said Pierson had made some sort of threat against
the librarian in September.
"We are looking into that, to the degree that it was understood, and
then what interactions or interventions took place," the sheriff said.
The librarian was able to escape the school unharmed, Robinson said.
Pierson legally purchased his shotgun at a local store a week before the
shooting and bought the ammunition the day of the shooting. Anyone 18
and older is allowed to buy a shotgun in Colorado; only those over 21
can legally buy a handgun.
Pierson, whose parents were divorced, lived at least part of the time
with his mother in a higher-end neighborhood in suburban Highlands
Ranch.
The Arapahoe shooting came a day before the one-year anniversary of the
Newtown, Conn., attack in which a gunman killed 20 children and six
adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School
Original post can be found at .http://www.aol.com/article/2013/12/21/hospital-teen-who-was-shot-at-colo-school-dies/20793639/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D422657
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