New Records Shed Light on Evergreen High School Events and the Response That Followed
Newly released records detail the September 2025 Evergreen High School attack, the response, injuries, and later investigation findings.
More than a year after the September 10, 2025, shooting at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, the attack remains a painful part of the community’s memory. Two students were shot and seriously wounded, while the teenage shooter later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. For students, families, educators, and first responders, the passage of time has not erased the trauma of that afternoon. The pain remains deeply felt today.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the first deputy was dispatched at 12:24 p.m., after emergency calls began coming in. Investigators later determined that the shooter fired approximately 20 rounds during an incident that lasted about nine minutes, first inside the school and then outside near South Olive Road and Buffalo Park Road. Deputies confronted the shooter, who then took his own life, ending the immediate threat. The response became part of the official review.
The two wounded students faced serious medical emergencies in the aftermath. One was identified as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone, while the family of the other survivor initially asked that the teenager’s identity remain private. The second student’s family said he was 14 and had suffered traumatic gunshot injuries requiring multiple surgeries, while both survivors endured lengthy medical recoveries. For the survivors and their families, recovery also meant adapting to physical and emotional effects after the danger had passed.
The response inside the school became an important part of the official account. Sheriff’s investigators said students and staff followed lockdown procedures, and an October timeline showed the lockdown began roughly 40 seconds after the first shot. Teachers, administrators, and students acted quickly as the shooter moved through the building, while law enforcement and medical personnel responded to the unfolding emergency. Their actions helped contain danger as responders moved to secure the campus and aid the wounded.
The investigation continued for months after the shooting, with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office working alongside the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Investigators ultimately identified the weapon as a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver and traced it to a 1966 purchase in Florida, although the ownership trail eventually ended with the deceased original purchaser. Later, the shooter’s parents were excluded from DNA evidence found on the firearm. Investigators also examined DNA records closely.
By February 2026, investigators had concluded their examination of the case involving the shooter’s parents and determined there was insufficient evidence to establish probable cause for charges related to firearm storage or providing a firearm to a juvenile. Parents would not face charges, officials said. That finding did not diminish the community’s loss or the continuing need for support among survivors, families, students, and staff. The sheriff’s office said the case was closed unless new evidence emerges.
Support has remained part of the community’s response. The Evergreen Resiliency Center was established to provide a place where students, faculty, families, and others directly affected could gather and seek assistance, while the sheriff’s Victim Services Unit continued offering resources. Such efforts recognize that recovery from a school shooting can extend far beyond the day emergency responders leave the scene. These services recognized that recovery could continue after the crisis, giving people a place to seek help.
More than a year later, Evergreen High School’s history now includes a day that permanently changed many lives. Remembering September 10 means honoring the students who survived, recognizing the people who responded, and acknowledging the families who continue to carry the consequences of the violence. The facts of the investigation may be documented, but healing remains a personal and ongoing journey for the community. Impact remains deeply felt.
