Two Colorado school shooters were convicted on 46 counts, including murder, for an incident in which they specifically targeted students she felt were “transphobic.”
Devon Michael Erickson and Maya “Alec” McKinney walked into a classroom at STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7, 2019, and opened fire on students as they watched “The Princess Bride.”
Eight students were wounded. 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo was shot and killed as he attempted to disarm Erickson.
Erickson and McKinney, who was born female but identifies as male. Known as a male named “Alec,” McKinney is referred to as “Maya Elizabeth McKinney” a “juvenile female” in court documents.
The pair specifically targeted students they felt were “transphobic” against McKinney.
Despite the pair being involved in a mass school shooting, some liberal activists rallied to defend McKinney, arguing he was the victim of discrimination.
Heavy.com reports:
A friend of McKinney’s and Erickson’s wrote on Instagram that “Devon did not do what he did because he’s liberal or to make a statement. He did it due to internal struggles. They’re both struggling with mental health issues and this is a time for awareness. Alec did not do this because he’s trans, but had people supported him in the way he needed and deserved, he would not have struggled so much that he got pushed over the edge.”
The friend wrote that the pair did a “horrible thing” but called for more support for LGBT youth, saying the two didn’t allegedly act because they hated others but rather because of hate in themselves.
The Post-Millennial reports there is even an online movement to have the charges dropped, writing:
Social justice crusaders on social media advocated to #AbolishPrisons for McKinney’s release who was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole last July. McKinney was born female but identifies as male.
Leftists claimed that “oppressive society” and “a world designed to kill us” had driven McKinney to violence, alleging that he doesn’t deserve to be punished for his crimes because it wasn’t his fault that he committed the acts.
Instead, the social justice warriors advocated for the mass shooter to be able to “thrive as a trans person,” and that the courts should disregard the first-degree murder and 16 other counts to which he pleaded guilty.
Michael Brigham
Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Of course the guns are at fault.
Every person who’s ever committed a murder–OK, I’ll change that to “the huge majority”–does it because they feel they’ve been pushed to the edge. People are advocating excusing the action because of the particular type of “pushing” these two received. You really, really don’t want to open that can of worms. Once you excuse murder, you open the floodgates to the unscrupulous who will use this case as a precedent for future exemptions.
I totally agree with elem teacher. Since when is it ok to take another persons life in first degree! We have all felt shunned at one point in our lives but we did not go out with a gun to shoot people this is ridiculous! My daughter used to get ugly remarks from people because of her crazy hair color, piercings, and tattoos before they became the in thing with young people. It used to make me angry at the stares and ugly remarks made but not her she said the Lord knows my heart and I know what kind of person I am that is all that matters.
Have they ever considered having separate classes for kids with “issues”, taught by teachers who survived the difficulties, achieved their qualifications for both teaching, assessing and counseling alternative approaches so that the behaviors would seem more of a learning experience than a source of hostility?
Has anyone ever considered that these two teens who committed this atrocity have severe mental illness which is why they are biological females but identify as males and why they felt they needed to express their anger, frustration, and perceived un-acceptance with extreme physical violence. LBGTQ is a mental disorder.
They are better perceived as “victims” if they identify as to something they are CLEARLY not! Then anyone who disagrees is a hater or transphobe! It’s a spin from the good old race card..