DENVER – The father of a student who killed a classmate at a suburban Denver high school before committing suicide posted a newspaper obituary for his son on the anniversary of the shooting, saying he forgives his son and wants him remembered as a person “who lost his way for a moment.”
The Saturday obit came the same day a candlelight vigil will be held for 17-year-old Claire Davis, the girl slain in the attack.
Davis’ parents couldn’t be located for comment. Organizers said Davis’ father, Michael Davis, planned to speak during the ceremony.
After her death, the Davis family issued a statement saying “the grace, laughter and light she brought to this world will not be extinguished by her death; to the contrary, it will only get stronger.”
Mark Pierson told The Associated Press on Saturday that he didn’t mean to disrespect the Davis family but wanted his son, Karl, also to be remembered for the good things he did in life. He said he did not post an obit immediately after the shooting because he felt it was not the appropriate time.
In the obituary, he called his son “a young man full of hope and promise, who lost his way for a moment, but now is found. I love you, I miss you, I forgive you.” It was signed, simply, “Dad.”
“I thought this was a nice tribute. He did some things right in his life. Everyone remembers Karl for the last 80 seconds of his life,” Mark Pierson said Saturday. He said he also wants his son remembered as an Eagle Scout who had leadership qualities and a lot of potential.
Police said the 18-year-old targeted his debate coach when he entered Arapahoe High School with a shotgun, machete, homemade bombs and 125 rounds of ammunition on Dec. 13, 2013. He shot Davis before turning the gun on himself. The coach escaped unharmed.
School officials said they did not punish Pierson after he shouted a death threat against the coach months earlier in a school hallway. The coach was so fearful after the encounter he considered resigning, according to police reports.
But administrators deemed Pierson low risk, despite a threat assessment that showed a history of angry outbursts and violent behavior.
The district declined to comment about the way it responded to the shooting, the threat or Pierson’s behavioral issues.
