Jefferson County investigators said Wednesday that the parents of Desmond Holly, the 16-year-old who opened fire at Evergreen High School on Sept. 10, 2025, will not face criminal charges after a months-long probe. According to the sheriff’s office, the revolver used in the attack was a family heirloom, and forensic testing did not tie the weapon to either parent. Investigators concluded the available evidence did not meet the legal standard required to establish probable cause.
Investigation findings
In a Feb. 4 news release, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the handgun was a Smith & Wesson .38 Special that could be traced to an original purchaser in Florida in 1966. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, DNA recovered from the firearm did not match either parent, and the parents’ attorney later acknowledged the gun belonged to a maternal grandparent. Sheriff’s investigators said the heirloom revolver had been stored near the back of a large, locked gun safe and that the shooter only had brief access to it when his father opened the safe.
Timeline at the school
The attack unfolded at lunchtime on Sept. 10, 2025, when a student carried a revolver into Evergreen High School and fired multiple times, moving through parts of the three-story campus for roughly nine minutes while reloading repeatedly. That timeline and the scope of damage, including shot windows and lockers, were detailed by Colorado Public Radio, and early local coverage identified one victim as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone. Two students were seriously wounded and received extended hospital care, according to reporting in The Denver Gazette.
Why prosecutors declined to file charges
Investigators said they reviewed possible violations of Colorado’s secure-storage and providing-to-a-juvenile statutes, but ultimately concluded there was not enough evidence to establish probable cause under those laws. Legal analysts note that charging parents after a school shooting is often a steep climb and highly fact-specific. Colorado Politics points to the Oxford High prosecutions in Michigan as an unusual case in which prosecutors cleared that hurdle. The sheriff’s office said it provided its findings to the First Judicial District Attorney and will reopen the investigation if new, case-significant evidence emerges.
Community response and supports
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also reiterated that victim services and the Evergreen Resiliency Center remain available to students and families, listing resources and contact information in its release. Per Jefferson County, the investigation will be closed unless new, case-significant evidence comes to light. Families and local leaders have continued to press for tighter safety measures at mountain schools while community groups organize counseling and fundraisers for the injured.
For Evergreen and beyond, the sheriff’s findings highlight how high the evidentiary bar is for criminally linking a stored firearm to parental liability, even after a school shooting. Local and national outlets, including The Denver Post, have reported the new details as the community and policymakers continue to debate safe-storage rules and how they are enforced.
