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LITTLETON, Colorado (AP / Gray News) – A young woman from Florida who, according to authorities, was so "in love" with the Columbine school shootings, fearing that she was planning an attack in Colorado just days before the twentieth birthday, was found dead Wednesday in a suicide apparently after a manhunt of nearly 24 hours.
The authorities are looking for 18-year-old Sol Pais, who allegedly issued undisclosed threats that prompted Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver to close for nearly three hours on Tuesday afternoon. (Source: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office / Facebook)
Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said the FBI had discovered Sol Pais, 18, with what appeared to be a self-inflicted bullet wound.
The manhunt had led to the closure of schools in the Denver area as a precaution, with classes and extracurricular activities canceled for half a million students.
During the urgent search, the FBI stated that Mr. Pais was obsessed with shooting in 1999 at Columbine High School and that he had uttered threats prior to the anniversary of the bombing that killed 13 people Saturday. The FBI has described it as "extremely dangerous".
The Miami Beach high school student went to Colorado Monday night and bought a shotgun and ammunition at a gun shop in Littleton, near Columbine, authorities said.
"Frankly, we are used to threats in Columbine," said John McDonald, executive director of Jefferson County School System Security, at the end of the hunt. "This one felt different – it was different – he certainly had our attention.
The authorities did not give immediate details of where Pais had been found, but FBI agents had concentrated their research on Mount Evans, a popular recreation area about 90 km to the south-west. from Denver.
McDonald describes his trip as a "pilgrimage" to Columbine and cites his purchase of the shotgun as one of the reasons why officials considered him a serious threat.
"These two factors, combined with his fascination with Columbine, provide clear and convincing evidence that it poses a threat to the school," he said.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said, after learning that the hunt was over, that he and all of Colorado's parents were "hugging their kids a little harder".
Authorities said that Pais had been last seen not far from Columbine – in the foothills of Jefferson County near Denver – wearing a black t-shirt, camouflage pants and boots black. The police have been ordered to detain her for an assessment of her mental health.
In the hometown of Pais in Surfside, Florida, police chief Julio Yero has asked that the family receive "a private life and a little time to mourn".
"This family has contributed a lot to this investigation from the beginning, providing us with valuable information that has taken us to Colorado and many things that may have saved us from further loss of life." he declared.
Pais' parents last saw him on Sunday and announced his passing to the Florida authorities Monday night, Surfside police said.
The authorities said his threats were not specific to any school. But Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside of Denver responded by locking their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some evening activities were canceled or moved inland.
Officials at Jefferson County School said the planned events to mark the anniversary this weekend would unfold as planned, including a ceremony in Columbine on Saturday.
Two armed teenagers attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and one teacher before committing suicide.
Adam Charni, a high school student from Miami Beach High School, said Pais dressed in black and kept for it most of the time. He said that he was "baffled" to learn that she was the person sought by the Colorado authorities.
The representative of the State of Colorado, Patrick Neville, head of the Republican House minority, was a 15-year-old sophomore at Columbine High at the time of the shooting and he now has three girls of school age .
"It was not easy for me to explain to my kids what was going on last night," Neville told the House Wednesday.
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Associate press editors Ellis Rua in Miami Beach, Florida, and James Anderson and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed to this report.
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Copyright 2019 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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