Report on the Arapahoe High School Shooting

In January 2016, the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) released an independent fact-finding report examining the events and circumstances leading to the 2013 fatal shooting of two students at Arapahoe High School and offering recommendations for improvements in school safety. The report was the result of a grant from the Arapahoe High School Community Fund Honoring Claire Davis, a donor-advised fund of The Denver Foundation, which sought understand the school’s threat and risk assessment procedures and responses and identify the lessons learned to improve youth violence prevention in schools across Colorado and the U.S.

Co-Principal Investigator Bill Woodward, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at CSPV noted, “We hope this report can shed light on this tragic event and help not only Arapahoe High School but all schools in Colorado embrace systems and processes that can result in a safer school climate and prevent something like this from happening again.”

Co-Principal Investigator, Sarah Goodrum, Faculty Associate at CSPV and Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Northern Colorado, said, “Sixteen years after Columbine, we still seem to be struggling to fully implement the reforms recommended by the Columbine Commission. Our hope is that we will not have to wait another sixteen years, or the next school shooting, to take action on the recommendations provided in the Arapahoe report.”

In the spirit of full disclosure, the data used for the report is being made available to the public on CSPV’s website, including the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Report, deposition transcripts, and deposition exhibits. Please note that Exhibit 39 is not being shared with the public due to a protective order.