A Colorado high school shooter who wounded two classmates before dying by suicide had signaled his intentions online and drew inspiration from far-right extremist circles, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League. Desmond Holly, 16, posted images of weapons and tactical gear—including a skull mask, ballistic vest, and a knife etched with a Nordic rune—on TikTok and X in the lead-up to the attack last Wednesday. The ADL said research "indicates that Holly spent substantial amounts of time in online spaces featuring extremist ideologies and violent content, ultimately adopting extremist views himself."
The ADL's Center on Extremism found that Holly's social media activity was peppered with white supremacist symbols and neo-Nazi codes, and that he frequented a notorious gore forum where he engaged with posts about previous mass shootings, NBC News reports. Holly's online footprint included nods to infamous attackers: his TikTok featured profile images of the Buffalo supermarket shooter and the gunman responsible for a 2014 rampage in California. The ADL says school shooters in Madison, Wisconsin, and Nashville, Tennessee who interacted with each other online were active in the same forum. The ADL describes the forum as a "gateway to extremism," reports USA Today.
Investigators say that in the months leading up to last week's shooting, the teen expressed neo-Nazi views and pieced together his arsenal, copying elements seen in earlier shootings. Prior to the attack, he posted a photo of a revolver and ammunition, and shared a now-deleted video in which he donned a tactical helmet and gas mask while playing the same Serbian folk song used by the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooter. After the Evergreen High School shooting, authorities said Holly was "radicalized by an extremist network" but have not released further details.
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The ADL said it informed the FBI in July about online accounts that were later linked to Holly, the Denver Post reports. The agency said Monday that investigators were unable to identify the teen at the time and decided no further action was needed. At Evergreen High, one of the injured students is recovering in the hospital, while the other has been released. The school is in the same district as Columbine High School. After last week's attack, the district's former safety director said changes were made after the 1999 Columbine shooting, including new safety protocols. He praised staff and students at Evergreen for following the procedures, saying, "They did the right thing. They locked down."
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