A Jefferson County Sheriff’s SWAT sergeant responded to a shooting at Evergreen High School in September while drunk, according to an internal investigation the agency conducted.
Former sergeant Anthony Hamilton told deputies he had started drinking at about 7 a.m. the day of the shooting and had “maybe nine or 10 beers” before arriving at the school. Hamilton was off duty at the time but decided to respond anyway.
On Sept. 10 at about 12:30 p.m., 16-year-old Desmond Holly attacked Evergreen High School, shooting two students before turning his gun on himself. Holly died and the other two students were wounded.
Deputies responded immediately but Hamilton arrived at the scene about an hour late, according to investigative documents obtained by The Denver Post. In a series of interviews, fellow first responders reported that Hamilton appeared intoxicated in the way he walked and that he had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. He was wearing sunglasses inside and drinking coffee during an unusual time, they reported.
When he arrived, Hamilton directed a team to begin “randomly clearing rooms” that weren’t part of his assignment. Fellow deputies told investigators Hamilton was acting strange and “checked out” and was actively avoiding other first responders. Hamilton’s commander said that he was surprised to see Hamilton at the scene that day because the sergeant had recently asked to be “offline” for a few days “to take care of family issues,” according to a summary of the investigation.
Hamilton initially denied that he had anything to drink the day of the shooting but admitted to doing so after more of the first responders reported smelling alcohol on his breath. Hamilton told officials he had decided to respond because the school shooting was “pretty significant” and “he knew his team would need help.”
“He said that was the wrong decision, stating ‘That was the reason why and I regret few things in my life more,'” according to the investigative documents.
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In an emailed statement, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said following the internal investigation, Hamilton resigned “in lieu of termination.”
“The Evergreen High School shooting was a tragic event for our community, and we are proud of the professionalism and dedication shown by the deputies and partner agencies who responded that day,” Mark Techmeyer wrote. “During the aftermath of the incident, our agency learned that a sergeant on the SWAT Team who responded to the scene while off duty was under the influence of alcohol. This conduct falls far outside the standards and expectations of the Sheriff’s Office.”
The internal investigation began nearly two weeks after the incident and was first reported by Denver7.
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