DENVER — Staff at KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School jumped into action after shots were fired near the Green Valley Ranch school on Tuesday.
The Denver Police Department said no one was injured, but a nearby home was struck.
Athletic director Gordon Lyng typically goes for a walk around the campus if the weather is nice and he has the time. He did just that on Tuesday.
As Lyng was strolling outside, he suddenly heard a few loud noises. Startled, he looked up and realized there were many more shots being fired, with bullets whizzing past him, hitting the ground. In that split second, he knew he had to make a quick decision – fight or flight. Without hesitation, he made a run for the safety of the building.
Upon entering the school, Lyng’s immediate focus turned to ensuring the safety of those around him. The school promptly went into lockdown mode, securing all external entry points and verifying that all students were inside the premises, away from harm.
According to Lyng, the situation called for everyone to pitch in for the greater good. Every staff member, from administrators to teachers, played a crucial role in safeguarding the children. Despite the chaos and uncertainty, the teachers selflessly stepped up to protect the students and the community, earning Lyng’s admiration and gratitude.
Shots were not fired on the school campus, but Lyng, who has worked in education for the last seven years, said he is always prepared for the worst-case scenario.
“I’ve thought about it. I’ve walked our campus. I’ve thought about a million scenarios. What to do if this happens, what to do if that happens,” Lyng said. “I’m not necessarily afraid of safety concerns. I’m more so empowered to be the one to make those safety calls or to be in a position to keep kids safe.”
KIPP Colorado Public Schools is a charter network of six schools that is authorized under Denver Public Schools (DPS). Taamiti Bankole, the chief external affairs officer, was at Northeast Denver Middle School on Tuesday. Bankole said they worked with DPS and Denver PD to dismiss their students that day.
“It was helpful that a number of folks were on campus to kind of support with dismissal, but truthfully, [the staff] would have been fine without us because, unfortunately, this is something that people are trained for, and they know how to do, and they already had their stations in place,” Bankole explained.
Bankole discussed how educators’ roles have evolved over the last few decades.
“We didn’t have to deal with cell phones in the same way. Didn’t have to deal with the threat of gun violence in the same way, all the different things that we have to plan for now,” Bankole said. “It’s different being a student nowadays than it was even when I was a kid. And so it means that we also have to adjust as educators.”
The day of the shots fired call, Denver7 received an email from a parent of a student at the school, who was disappointed in the lack of coverage the incident received. The mother wrote that she hopes “I can one day feel comfortable with sending my child to school and knowing she is going to return back to me better than when she left home.”
The time and space to process an incident like this is something Bankole said the school strives to give to staff, teachers, and students.
“Part of us having this conversation and figuring out, how can we make sure that people feel safe? How can we make sure that we’re getting to the cause of things?” Bankole posed. “We want kids to be able to come to school, feel safe on their way to school, feel safe within the school buildings, because we know that students learn best when they feel safe, they feel loved, they feel cared for. And I would say the same is true for adults, too.”
Lyng understands the reality of the world around him and what that means for his role working inside a school. Ultimately, that will not stop him from doing what he loves.
“I love our community. I don’t see myself anywhere else. I love the job that I do in the community,” Lyng said.
Denver PD said it is investigating this incident, and no arrests have been made as of Thursday. Investigators ask anyone who has information related to the shooting to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
