Colorado STEM school shooting suspect makes first court appearance

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. - One of two suspects in the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado, in which one student was killed and eight injured, made his first court appearance on Wednesday.

The suspect, Devon Erickson, 18, had his dark, purple-and-pink streaked hair down over his eyes. He bowed and shook his head during the judge's questions.

Erickson, wearing a red jumpsuit with orange shoes, nodded frequently in response to the judge. At one point during the hearing, the judge requested a verbal answer to whether he had any questions. He simply replied, "No."

Erickson is one of two suspects accused of opening fire at the STEM School in the south Denver suburbs on Tuesday.

The other suspect is a juvenile.

The 18-year-old suspect is due back in court Friday, when charges are expected to be filed.

Authorities said the two suspects, who also attended the charter school, used at least two handguns in the shooting.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the suspects had a "number of weapons" in Tuesday's shooting, including the two handguns, which he said the students were not old enough to buy or own. Colorado law prohibits people under the age of 21 from buying or possessing handguns.

Colorado allows people 18 and older to buy "long guns," such as shotguns, rifles and semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15, from dealers with federal firearms licenses. All firearms buyers in Colorado must undergo background checks conducted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

The charter school is located just a few miles away from Columbine, the site of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.