Kendrick Castillo, student, dead in rampage

Kendrick Castillo – only days from graduation – acted fast inside of his British literature class at a suburban Denver school Tuesday afternoon. And he paid with his life. 

When a gunman burst through the door at STEM School Highlands Ranch, barking at students to stay in place and not move, Castillo, 18, rushed the shooter. It was a quick-thinking move that fellow students said gave them a chance to bolt for safety or take cover under desks. 

“Kendrick lunged at (the gunman), and he shot Kendrick, giving all of us enough time to get underneath our desks, to get ourselves safe, and to run across the room to escape,” senior Nui Giasolli told NBC’s Today on Wednesday morning. Other students helped Castillo tackle the shooter, classmates said.

Colorado shooting: Teen who plans to become Marine tackled suspected shooter, father says

Douglas County Coroner Jill Roman confirmed Wednesday that the student killed was Castillo, the sheriff’s department said in a tweet. 

This undated photo provided by Rachel Short shows Kendrick Castillo, who was killed during a shooting at the STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7, 2019, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Photo: Rachel Short, AP)

An emotional John Castillo lauded his kind-hearted son as a hero. “I want people to know about him,” he told ABC News. 

He also told NBC that he talked with Kendrick about what to do in a school shooting, advising him “you don’t have to be the hero.”

But his son, who wanted to study electrical engineering in college, insisted he would act. “You raised me this way. You raised me to be a good person. That’s what I’m doing,'” Castillo recalled. 

Castillo said the coroner told him his son, an only child, took gunfire that would have harmed other students, according to the Denver Post.

“He cared enough about people that he would do something like that, even though it’s against my better judgment,” Castillo told the newspaper. “I wish he had gone and hid, but that’s not his character. His character is about protecting people, helping people.”

Castillo, a member of a Highlands Ranch robotics club called FRC 4418 Impulse, was set to graduate Friday, according to media reports, and was described as someone who was funny, smart and captivated by robotics.

“We’re heartbroken by the death of Kendrick Castillo, a victim of the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting,” tweeted FIRST, a youth non-profit that advances STEM education. “Kendrick was a member of @Frc4418, of which his father is Lead Mentor. Our hearts go out to Kendrick’s family, friends, & all affected by the shooting.”   

FIRST created a fund for Castillo’s family and local FRC team 4418 in response to the outpouring of support in the community. More than $20,000 was raised in less than 24 hours, FIRST’s Aaron Pickering said Thursday, and all proceeds will be distributed to the team. 

Students and teachers raise their arms as they exit the scene of a shooting in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, on May 7 , 2019.. (Photo: Tom Cooper, Getty Images)

More: Second suspect in Colorado school shooting is a girl, sheriff says