On Friday, a student at Arapahoe High School in Colorado opened fire on his fellow students, and shot Claire Davis, 17, in the head. Davis is now in a coma and in critical condition. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said Davis is “a young woman of principle. She is a young woman of purpose. … She was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence.”
Robinson said that the shooter, Karl Pierson, went into the school building with a shotgun, a machete, ammunition, and a backpack with three Molotov cocktails. Pierson quickly fired the gun and dropped one of the Molotov cocktails, then retreated to the school’s library where he killed himself. A sheriff’s deputy was nearby and was able to respond quickly to the shooting. “The shooter knew the deputy was in the area,” Robinson said at a news briefing. “We believe that the response … was absolutely critical to the fact that we did not have additional injury or deaths.”
August Clary, a classmate, called Pierson “funny” and “smart.” “He’s in the Eagle Scouts, a very intelligent kid. Did not like being wrong. If you’re arguing with him … that’s a feat if you win an argument against him.” He also commented at a prayer vigil for Claire Davis that Davis is “a very sweet girl. She’s really smart, really bright. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s just a really great girl, and we hope she’s gonna be OK.”
