Colorado school shooting victim, 17, fights for life after she was shot in the head point blank with a shotgun by schoolmate who was planning slaughter

Karl Pierson's 'evil intent' was to harm multiple people, sheriff says



Claire Davis would have had no chance to escape, as fellow senior shot her at point blank range

Intended target believed to be Tracy Murphy who demoted Pierson on debate team earlier in the week

Pierson, 18, was found dead by police after apparently committing suicide

Hundreds of students held candlelit vigil for Claire one day after shooting



Arapahoe is just miles from Columbine High School - where 13 were killed in 1999 - and the Aurora movie theater where 12 were shot dead last year

It also happened on the eve of 1-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting



The 17-year-old student shot in the head during the Colorado school shooting is still in critical condition.



Claire Davis, a senior at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, was shot at point blank range by fellow student Karl Pierson yesterday afternoon.



Pierson had entered the school armed with a shotgun and petrol bombs, seemingly intent on killing his debate team coach Tracy Murphy.



Critical condition: Claire Davis, 17, was shot by Arapahoe senior Karl Pierson

Claire's father said earlier today that his daughter was 'not doing very well' after having surgery.



The popular teenager would have had no time to get out of the way as Pierson entered the school and started shooting just after 12.30 yesterday.



County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said at a press conference this afternoon that Claire was 'an innocent victim of an evil act of violence', 7News reported.

There was no indication that the gunmen knew her or was acquainted with her.



Sheriff Robinson said the incident had been extremely brief, lasting one minute and 17 seconds from the time Pierson entered the building armed with the shotgun, several rounds of ammunition, and three petrol bombs, to the point where he shot himself.

He added that Claire wouldn't have had any time to run from the shooter, correcting earlier reports that she may have been trying to stop him. A friend who was with Claire at the time dragged her to safety in a nearby yoga class, according to the Denver Post.



Debate team: Karl Pierson, left, was a member of the debate team and previously competed at nationals for the school, but his coach, librarian Tracy Murphy, right, allegedly demoted him earlier this week

Sheriff Robinson said that 18-year-old Pierson legally purchased the shotgun on December 6, a full week before the incident.

'Evil intent'

Karl Pierson's 'evil intent was to harm multiple individuals' Sheriff Robinson has said. The 18-year-old senior at Arapahoe High School arrived at the Colorado school at about 12.30 on Friday, armed with a shotgun, multiple rounds of ammunition, a machete and three petrol bombs.

In an attack lasting just one minute and 17 seconds, the student fired five times.

He fired in the hallway, shot Claire Davis, 17, in the head, then fired in the corridor again and library, where he also set off a petrol bomb. Aware that the school police officer was closing in on him, Pierson shot himself in the library. Pierson had legally bought the shotgun on December 6, and school friends said the usually calm student had been acting out of character this week.

After his parents divorced in 2011, the teenager, described by neighbors as 'sweet and cheerful' was raised by his mother.

On the day of the shooting she was out of town, caring for a sick relative.

'His evil intent was to harm multiple individuals,' Sheriff Robinson said.

Pierson threw one of the petrol bombs into the library where Mr Murphy, who is also the school's librarian, worked. The explosion set fire to three bookcases.

Police are still investigating the motive that Pierson was trying to get back at Mr Murphy for benching him on the debate team earlier in the week.

Sheriff Robinson said that when the teenager heard the school's police officer pursuing him he took his own life. The sheriff also read a statement from Claire 's parents, thanking the community for their s upport and asking for privacy as they continue to pray for their daughter's recovery.

'We would like to thank our family, friends, the community and the equestrian community for their outpouring of love and support, as well as the school for their continued support of the students and teachers.' 'We would also like to express our gratitude to the first-responders and the trauma team at Littleton Adventist Hospital for saving our daughter's life and quickly getting her into surgery. Claire is still in critical condition and your prayers are appreciated,' it said. At a vigil being held in Claire's honor at the school tonight, hundreds of fellow students marched silently into an open field. Come together: Students from the high school hold a candlelit vigil for Claire Davis who is being treated in hospital In candlelight, the students sang the school song and hugged as they tried to come to terms with what had happened the previous day.

Vigil: Friends have gathered to show support for Claire Frank Warnoff, a student at the school, told news station KDVR that on Friday he was in the parking lot after lunch when he saw librarian Mr Murphy running out of the building.

‘He seemed incredibly shocked, he was in awe,’ Frank said. He said Mr Murphy kept telling him what happened inside, naming Pierson and saying what appears to be the motive for the shooting.

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Next 'Help me! Help me! There's a shooter': Horrifying moment... Hero debate coach praised for trying to lead the Colorado... Share this article Share ‘I docked him from the speech and debate team and that just shocked him,’ Frank recalled Murphy telling him.

‘[Mr Murphy] just kept repeating [the shooter’s] name and what happened and where [the shooter] was.' The student described Pierson as 'a bit nerdy and geeky but in a sort of charming way'. ‘I could see that he was bullied but he was always very humble and down to earth, always in a good mood and energetic. I just never saw him as this kind of person,' he said. Mr Murphy told Frank that he had been shot out but managed to dodge the blast of the shotgun. Others in the school said the otherwise calm and happy student seemed to snap this week. Struggling: Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said Claire is in poor condition after surgery yesterday Community spirit: Claire's family issued a statement asking for prayers for their daughter



Hands up: Police search students as they are led out of the school on Friday with their hands in the air Anxious: A sheriff holds up his gun at a Centennial, Colorado grocery store where Arapahoe High School parents wait to be reunited with their children after the school shooting Friday afternoon

‘I wasn’t there but I heard in one of his classes on Wednesday he went out to get something from his locker I believe, came back and started pounding on the door because it was locked. They just couldn't figure out how he was so upset,’ Frank said.

Neighbors said that the high school senior ‘seemed normal’ and was described as being ‘sweet’ and ‘quiet’.



One neighbor told MailOnline that the boy was a member of the cross country team and they waved from across the street whenever they saw each other but were not particularly close.



Those who knew the teenager were not surprised to learn that he had a gun as he reportedly showed his friends a picture of a shotgun that he used for hunting.

Fears: Students comfort each other at Arapahoe High School following the shooting Under investigation: A full team of police are swarming this house in Highlands Ranch (pictured before the investigation) as it is thought to be where the shooter lived Warranted: Police prepare to search the Pierson home for explosives after finding two at the high school Sheriff Robinson said that while the investigation was on going, there was ‘absolutely no indication at all that this would be tied to Sandy Hook’ even though the shooting took place the day before the one year anniversary of the Connecticut shooting that left 20 children and six educators dead. Arapahoe High School is 16 miles from the Aurora movie theater where a shooting occurred in June 2012 and only eight miles from Columbine High School, the scene of a mass school shooting in April 1999.

‘We are really, really, really surprised that this happened,’ senior Eric Waugh told CNN.

‘We had talked about it and we had lock down drills at times but we never thought that it would happen at our school.’ Heartbreaking: Student Dominika Kostecka, 17, is emotional as she gets picked up by her mother after the school was evacuated following the shooting Comforting: Allie Zadrow, right, hugs her friend Liz Reinhardt, left, after being evacuated from the building Concern: Parents Cathy Thorson, left, and Heather Moran, right, hug each other after arriving on the campus

Escape: Law enforcement officers escort students, with their hands raised, out of Arapahoe High School Reunited: Students meet with their relieved parents at a fast food joint across from the high school Authorities swarmed the scene about 20 minutes after the initial call and t he sheriff commended the librarian for his quick thinking by leaving the school, saying that the man's intention was to get the gunman away from the school. 'In my opinion, this was the most important tactical decision that was made,' Sheriff Robinson said. 'He took himself away from the school in an effort to get the shooter to go with him.'

Only one weapon, which was used in the shooting, has been found at the school. The second petrol bomb had not gone off.

The gunman's car, home, and a second property he had access to are being searched as part of the investigation.

Lockdown: SWAT team members lead students away from Arapahoe High School near Littleton, Colorado Terror: The students kept their hands in the air where the gunman opened fire on Friday afternoon Staying together: Students from Arapahoe High School evacuate their building in Centennial Whitney Riley, a 15-year-old student, recounted fearful scenes to CNN, explaining that she heard one shot ring out, followed by two more. She said she ran to a room with classmates and a teacher, who she credited for his brave response. 'You could tell he was scared,' she said of one teacher. 'But he told us that everything was OK.' Footage taken from outside the school showed the high school students standing in lines and being patted down by police officers. Traffic had also been brought to a standstill outside the school and parents were told to go to a nearby church to meet their childrenl. Around 2,230 students attend Arapahoe High School, which is a part of Littleton Public Schools.

Scene: The school in Centennial is just eight miles from where the Columbine School shooting took place in 1999

Shooting: An aerial view of Arapahoe High School in Centennial, where police responded after midday