A robotics aficionado. A lover of fishing, hunting and automobiles. And a hero whose father says threw himself at an armed student so his classmates could live.
The father of the 18-year-old killed at STEM School Highlands Ranch on Tuesday confirmed to The Denver Post that his son, Kendrick Castillo, was the sole fatality in the school shooting that left eight other students injured.
“He was the best kid in the world,” John Castillo said through tears Wednesday morning.
RELATED: How to talk to children after STEM School shooting in Highlands Ranch
Castillo said Kendrick’s friends and the coroner told him that Kendrick and another boy charged one of the shooters once they entered their classroom. The coroner told Castillo his son was a hero, that the gunfire he took would have hurt other people.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Castillo said of his son. “He cared enough about people that he would do something like that, even though it’s against my better judgment.”
“I wish he had gone and hid,” Castillo continued, “but that’s not his character. His character is about protecting people, helping people.”
Still, Castillo said, “I had a hard time accepting that.”
STEM School senior Nui Giasolli told NBC’s “Today” show that as one of the suspects entered the classroom and pulled out a gun, Kendrick Castillo lunged. He was shot in the process, she said. Kendrick’s actions allowed her and the rest of the class time to get underneath their desks or run across the room to escape, Giasolli said.
Gov. Jared Polis commended Castillo’s bravery Wednesday morning on Twitter.
“Colorado hero Kendrick Castillo lost his life saving others,” Polis said in the tweet. “Colorado will always remember the heroism of Kendrick Castillo.”
Castillo was joined in his heroics Tuesday by two other students, 18-year-old Brendan Bialy, who survived unscathed, and Joshua Jones, who was shot twice.
RELATED: 1 dead and 8 injured, 2 suspects in custody after shooting at STEM School in Highlands Ranch
Cece Bedard spent a lot of time with Castillo throughout their childhood, their fathers dragging them to Knights of Columbus meetings. Castillo immediately took to the organization’s creed of helping others, Bedard said.
“He told me he wanted to be a Knights of Columbus because he wanted to help not only people, but his community,” Bedard told The Denver Post in a message. “He was the bravest soul I’ve ever met and never even cared what others thought because he was too busy finding ways to make you smile.”
Aaron Busche said that even in middle school, Castillo stood out for his selflessness.
“He was not afraid to stand up for what he thought was right,” Busche said in a message. “The way he died was very much in his nature. He always prioritized others before himself.”
Castillo loved science, especially robotics, his father said. He was the lead fabricator on the robotics team that his father coached.
John Castillo said his son had just three days of school left before graduating. He was set to attend Arapahoe Community College in the fall, where Castillo said his son hoped to major in mechanical or electrical engineering. Kendrick was their only child.
Castillo said Kendrick loved the outdoors — he four-wheeled, fished and hunted. He loved cars.
“My wife and I are in a haze,” Castillo said. “He was everything to us.”
