Colorado school shooting victim Kendrick Castillo died trying to stop the gunman

(Image credit: Rachel Short via AP)

published 9 May 2019

Kendrick Castillo is being remembered by his classmates at STEM School Highlands Ranch as a hero.

Castillo, 18, was shot and killed Tuesday at the school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Authorities said two students opened fire inside the building, and were arrested following a struggle. At least eight students were injured.

Brandon Bialy said he was in his British Literature class when another student, about a foot away from Castillo, pulled out a gun and demanded no one move. Castillo lunged at the gunman, and Bialy and two other students tried to pin him down. This gave their classmates time to run out of the room. Bialy said a teacher came in and tried to give Castillo medical aid, while other students applied pressure to his chest to try to stop the bleeding from his gunshot wound. "Kendrick Castillo died a legend," Bialy said. "He died a trooper. I know he will be with me for the rest of my life."

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Castillo was selfless, his father, John Castillo, told CNN, and loved his family and friends, especially those on the robotics team. "I know that because of what he did, others are alive, and I thank God for that," Castillo told CNN. "I love him. And he is a hero and he always will be. He just loved people that much." Castillo and his wife, Maria, found out their son died when they went to the hospital looking for him, and learned his body was still in the classroom. "This wasn't your average kid," Castillo said. "He was extraordinary."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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