THE gunman who killed himself after fatally shooting one of the six girls he had been holding in a school classroom had sexually assaulted some of them during the ordeal.

The events at Platte Canyon High School, including pictures of terrified children running from the building and parents hysterical with fear outside, triggered memories of the Columbine massacre seven years ago, when two students killed 13 people before committing suicide.

But emotions over Wednesday’s trauma have been made rawer still because it took place in Bailey, Colorado, a short drive from Columbine. Some of the police SWAT team who attempted to rescue the girls on Wednesday had also been at the scene of the 1999 massacre.

The gunman was named as Duane Morrison, a 53-year-old Denver man who had been sleeping in a car and had no apparent connection with the hostages. Although Morrison’s motive remains a mystery “he did traumatise and assault our children”, said Fred Wegener, the Park County Sheriff. His victim was named as Emily Keyes, 16.

“It was awful fast,” Sheriff Wegener, said. “He shot at them, then turned and shot the female hostage and then turned and shot himself.”

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