FBI Ignored Tip—Two Students Pay the Price

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Colorado authorities have dropped all potential charges against the parents of a 16-year-old school shooter who radicalized himself online and critically wounded two classmates, citing insufficient evidence despite months of investigation—a decision that raises serious questions about parental accountability and the unanswered mystery of how a teenager accessed a locked family heirloom revolver.

Story Snapshot

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced no charges against parents of Desmond Holly, who shot two students at Evergreen High School on September 10, 2025, before killing himself
Parents remained uncooperative for months until their attorney revealed the gun was a grandparent-owned 1966 Smith & Wesson revolver stored in a locked safe
DNA tests excluded parents from firearm handling, but investigators never determined how the teen accessed the secured weapon
FBI received a tip about the shooter’s threatening social media activity two months before the attack, but the warning went unheeded until after the tragedy
Anti-Defamation League documented the shooter’s radicalization through violent gore websites and posts referencing the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre

Investigation Concludes Without Charges Despite Community Outcry

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office closed its investigation on February 4, 2026, after determining that evidence was insufficient to prosecute the parents of Evergreen High School shooter Desmond Holly. The 16-year-old fired approximately 20 rounds inside and outside the school on September 10, 2025, critically injuring two students who required extended hospital stays before turning the gun on himself. Sheriff’s officials acknowledged the decision was “not the outcome many hoped for” but emphasized their commitment to following facts and law rather than public sentiment. The case remains technically open should new evidence emerge.

Parents’ Silence and Heirloom Gun Complicate Accountability

The parents refused to cooperate with investigators throughout the months-long probe, communicating only through their attorney who finally disclosed critical details on January 23, 2026. They claimed the firearm was a family heirloom purchased in Florida in 1966, owned by a grandparent and stored in a locked safe with rare use. The parents stated their son gained access only briefly when his father opened the safe. However, this explanation leaves a glaring hole: investigators never determined exactly how the teenager obtained the weapon from the supposedly secured location. Court-ordered DNA testing found no genetic material from either parent on the gun, complicating potential charges under Colorado’s secure storage laws.

FBI Warning Ignored While Teen Radicalized Online

Federal authorities received a tip in mid-July 2025 about threatening social media activity linked to the shooter, yet no preventive action was taken before the September attack. The Anti-Defamation League documented Holly’s radicalization through activity on violent gore websites and a deleted TikTok post referencing the Christchurch mosque shooting that killed 51 people in New Zealand. Law enforcement confirmed the day after the shooting that Holly had been “radicalized by some extremist network.” This pattern of ignored warning signs and online extremism mirrors failures seen in other mass casualty events where federal tips went unaddressed. The combination of parental non-cooperation and missed FBI intervention opportunities represents a systemic breakdown in threat prevention.

Evidentiary Gaps Prevent Prosecution Under Storage Laws

Colorado law requires secure firearm storage and prohibits providing guns to juveniles, but prosecutors need proof of violations beyond reasonable doubt. The heirloom revolver’s ownership trail became obscured after the original owner’s death despite FBI and ATF assistance in tracing the weapon. Without DNA evidence linking the parents to the firearm and without testimony explaining the safe access, the Jefferson County District Attorney determined probable cause did not exist to file charges. This case highlights the practical challenges of enforcing storage laws when families possess older inherited firearms with unclear ownership chains. The decision avoids setting a legal precedent that could have clarified parental responsibility standards, leaving communities frustrated and victims’ families without legal accountability for the tragedy.

The Evergreen High School community continues receiving mental health support through the Evergreen Resiliency Center, which operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and can be reached at 720-362-2925. Additional resources remain available through massviolence.help/evergreen-co as students, staff, and families process the lasting trauma. While the criminal investigation has concluded, the broader questions about online radicalization detection, parental oversight responsibilities, and how a locked firearm ended up in a teenager’s hands remain disturbingly unanswered. The decision not to prosecute may be legally sound given evidentiary limitations, but it underscores the difficulties law-abiding gun owners face when family members exploit momentary access to secured weapons—a reality that demands both parental vigilance and common-sense safety practices without infringing on Second Amendment rights or punishing responsible owners for criminal acts they did not facilitate.