Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was emotional after a school shooting near his Colorado home left one student dead and several others injured — calling for changes to be made.
The shooting occurred at STEM School Highlands Ranch, a public charter school. Speaking to reporters before Tuesday’s Game 5, Malone called the shooting a tragedy.
“It’s not just Highlands Ranch. It’s not just Colorado. This is an epidemic. It continues to happen,” Malone said. “That’s the frustrating thing. How do you stop it? Again, gun control, laws, whatever it might be — I’m not a politician; I don’t want to sit up here on a soap box. I just want everybody back in Highlands Ranch to know we’re with you. That’s really important for them to know.”
Malone shared that his two daughters attend school nearby.
“I’m texting my daughter, telling her she’s going to be OK,” Malone said. “I don’t even know if she will be OK. This is every parent’s worst nightmare. When you see your kids go to school in the morning, it’s, ‘Have a great day’ and (you) assume everything is going to be all right.”
Authorities have taken two suspects into custody.
Malone said he found out about the shooting from his wife.
“The thing that makes you angry is that she’s telling me how scared my daughters are in their schools, texting her,” Malone said. “They didn’t know what’s going on. They just saw lockout. Where is this shooter? Is it at our school? Some other school?
“When kids go to school, they should be going to school to learn, have fun, be with their friends, not be worried about an active shooter.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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