CENTENNIAL Nikita Kucherov Youth Jersey , CO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- An 18-year-old high school senior who thought a teacher had destroyed his chances of attending the Air Force Academy has been identified by police as the lone gunman who wounded three students before taking his life at a suburban Denver high school Friday.
Karl Pierson was described by fellow students as a "good student," straight-laced, politically outspoken and verbally argumentative -- but not the type of kid to hunt down and try to kill a teacher.
Pierson died of a "self-inflicted" gunshot wound 14 minutes after barging into the school Friday afternoon carrying a shotgun, just as police were rushing to the scene.
Pierson, raised in an upscale Highlands Ranch neighborhood Steven Stamkos Youth Jersey , was seeking revenge for being kicked off a debate team by targeting the teacher responsible, several students said in interviews following the incident.
In September, Pierson, who had dreams of attending the prestigious nearby Air Force Academy, was temporarily suspended from school for "jokingly" saying he wanted to kill the debate team coach Tracy Murphy, according to student interviews Vladislav Namestnikov Womens Jersey , which also noted that Pierson held conservative political views and championed "gun rights."
"He thought Mr. Murphy had ruined his life" with the suspension, said Joe Redmond, Pierson's friend and captain of the debate team. "(The Air Force) doesn't look positively on suspensions."
After entering south Denver's Arapahoe High School at 12:33 p.m. Friday, Pierson, dressed in military tactical gear and brandishing a shotgun, raced down the school's hallways screaming the name of the coach.