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Viral post about resource officer stopping gunman before Colorado school shooting is false

Posted at 7:20 AM, Feb 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-27 09:30:49-05

DENVER, Colorado — A gunman did not go to Arapahoe High School "this past Friday" with the intention of killing people.

According to a post that's been circulating on Facbook for awhile, the shooter was "the only one dead" after an "armed school resource officer confronted him." That post has been recirculating following a deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, 2018, which has spurred a bigger national conversation about arming teachers and about gun control.

There was not a school shooting incident in Arapahoe recently, nor on Dec. 11, 2015. There was a shooting at the school Dec. 13, 2013 in which a shooter, an 18-year-old senior and debate club member, did shoot another student, who died several days later. The gunman also attempted to start a fire in the school and eventually shot himself in the head.

According to fact-checker website Snopes.com, a school custodian saw the shooter and alerted security personnel. Those security professionals were joined by a deputy, but none shot the gunman.

They did help minimize casualties by directing civilians at the scene and racing to confront the shooter.

CNN reports the entire incident was over in 80 seconds. Read more about the Arapahoe shooting here.