A teenage suspect charged in connection with a school shooting in Colorado has appeared in court.
Devon Erickson, 18, made his first court appearance on Wednesday, shackled at the waist with his hands cuffed.
He and another student, a juvenile who has not been named by authorities, are accused of killing one schoolboy at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths School in Highlands Ranch, after opening fire on their fellow classmates.
Kendrick Castillo has been named as the victim who died, after he is said to have leapt from his desk in a literature class to charge at the gunmen.
Erickson appeared in court with his head bowed, nodding frequently to the judge’s questions.
He is scheduled to return to court on Friday, when charges are expected to be filed.
Eight other pupils were injured after shots were fired at the school in Denver on Tuesday.
The shooting at Highlands Ranch came nearly three weeks after neighbouring Littleton marked the grim 20th anniversary of the Columbine school massacre that killed 13 people.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said two gunmen walked into the school in a suburb of Denver and began shooting at pupils in two classrooms.
Within minutes, deputies at a nearby sheriff's department substation entered the school and arrested the two suspects after a struggle.
Another teenager preparing to enter the Marines also tackled the gunmen. An armed security guard then confronted and detained one of them.
Authorities said these acts of bravery helped minimise the bloodshed from the attack, which also wounded eight people.
Mr Spurlock said: "We're going to hear about very heroic things that have taken place at the school.”
The alleged attackers were identified by law enforcement officials as Erickson and a younger student.
They allegedly walked into the school through an entrance without metal detectors and opened fire in two classrooms.
