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Denver STEM Shooting Suspect Says He Targeted Students Who Mocked His Gender ID

Alec McKinney, who identifies as male, said he targeted two students because they called him “disgusting” due to his gender identity.

One of the two teenage suspects in the shooting at a STEM School in Denver last month says he targeted students who ridiculed him over his gender identity, according to court documents. The Denver Post reports that 16-year-old Alec McKinney, who told police he was born a girl but identifies as male, said he targeted two students because they called him “disgusting” due to his gender identity. The May 7 shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch left one student dead and eight others injured. McKinney and Devon Erickson, 18, face dozens of criminal charges, including first-degree murder counts in the death of 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo. McKinney reportedly told police he “wanted the kids at the school to experience bad things, have to suffer from trauma like he has had to in his life. He wanted everyone in that school to suffer and realize the world is a bad place.”