A preliminary investigation into the suspect who shot and injured two fellow students at Evergreen High School Wednesday found that he was “radicalized by some extremist network,” according to Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley.

“The details of that will be (released) down the road, but we wanted to at least give you that much about mindset for him,” Kelley said in a press conference outside of the school Thursday.

Officials have identified the shooting suspect as 16-year-old Desmond Holly. Kelley did not name the two victims, but said their families plan to release photos and statements later. Kelley said there is security present at the hospitals where they remain in critical condition. 

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The suspect died Wednesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound he sustained after the shooting. The suspect’s family has been cooperative with authorities as they investigate and plan to search his home, phone and school locker, Kelley said. 

He used a revolver handgun that he repeatedly fired and reloaded, which Kelley said “went on and on.” As the shooting went on, he was unable to access areas of the school that had gone into lockdown. 

“He tried to find new targets, and he came up against a roadblock on many of those doors,” Kelley said. “He couldn’t get to those kids.”

Students and staff at the school “did their job, they did it well, and lives were saved yesterday because of the actions they took” during the lockdown, Kelley said. Many students ran and fled the scene while others remained locked down in the school. 

Kelley had no information on how the suspect obtained the weapon. 

Multiple agencies are supporting the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation “because there’s so many crime scenes within the school and outside the school,” Kelley said. Many windows and lockers within the school were shot.

The high school will not reopen this week.