Denver School Shooting Suspect Linked to Neo-Nazi Views and Online Gore Forum
DENVER, COLORADO — The teenager accused in the Evergreen High School shooting that left two students critically injured had posted neo-Nazi content and mass shooting references online, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Authorities identified the suspect as Desmond Holly, 16, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the September 10 attack in Jefferson County.
Fascination With Past Shootings
The ADL report found Holly had been active since December on a violent online forum called Watch People Die, where users share videos of killings along with white supremacist and antisemitic material.
Investigators said Holly’s activity drew parallels to recent school shooting suspects in Wisconsin and Tennessee, both of whom also used the forum. Holly opened his account in the month between those two shootings.
A few days before the Evergreen attack, Holly posted a TikTok video mimicking poses from the Wisconsin school shooter who killed two people last December. He also created a “WRATH” T-shirt resembling one worn by a Columbine gunman, according to the ADL.
Social Media Activity
Holly’s TikTok accounts displayed white supremacist symbols and even included a reference to a well-known neo-Nazi slogan. TikTok has since banned the accounts.
He was also active in the platform’s “True Crime Community”, where users frequently discuss mass murderers and serial killers.
According to the ADL, one user encouraged Holly to become a “hero” — a term extremists use for ideologically motivated attackers — and suggested he acquire Nazi-era patches similar to those worn in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack and the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting.
Holly posted a photo of patches he owned, writing: “I’m gonna use stronger glue when I fix it.”
Ongoing Investigation
Law enforcement officials have not disclosed how Holly selected his victims or whether others may have influenced his actions.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Mark Techmeyer declined to comment directly on the ADL’s findings but previously stated that Holly had been radicalized by an unspecified “extremist network.”
Experts say the case illustrates a troubling “through line” between mass shootings, as attackers reference and inspire one another in online spaces.
The Evergreen High School shooting has reignited concerns over online radicalization, extremist forums, and the glorification of past mass killers. For continued updates on community safety and law enforcement cases, follow ChicagoMusicGuide.com.