High School Student Creates Moving Song After School Shooting

A senior at Evergreen High School has made waves online with a heartfelt song reflecting on the recent school shooting that rattled his Colorado community. Judas Cox, a student, shared the song following the incident on Wednesday, where 16-year-old Desmond Holly fired a shot at his school, injuring two students before he turned the gun on himself, later passing away in the hospital.

The song, which has since gone viral, racked up over 2.6 million views on social media. “Music is how I process a lot of things, so this was my way of coping,” Cox explained to a news outlet.

On the day of the shooting, Judas was attending off-campus music lessons when his mother, Vivian Cox, rushed to inform him of the unfolding situation. “It hit me that Judas wasn’t there yet,” she recounted, concerned for her son’s safety. Meanwhile, Judas’ younger brother, a freshman at Evergreen, was already at school when the chaos erupted.

“I told him to stay where he was,” Vivian said, tears evident in her voice. “The thought of losing a child… it’s a nightmare no parent wants to face.” In the wake of the shooting, Judas channeled his emotions into songwriting, crafting lyrics and playing the piano, trying to process the traumatic event.

“When something like this happens in your hometown, it feels too close. It’s not just a news story anymore,” he reflected. “I never thought it could happen at my school.” As he wrote the lyrics, there was a distinct realization that this song was different—it came from a place of deep feeling.

Judas plans to continue sharing his music at school fundraising events, aiming to inspire hope. “You hear about these events on the news, and you always think it won’t happen to you, but here we are,” he noted.

He expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response his untitled song received, adding, “I really don’t understand why these events keep happening. This isn’t the way high school should be.”

Jackie Kelly, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office, confirmed that Holly, the shooter, had taken a bus to Evergreen and used a revolver to fire shots during lunchtime. Reports indicated that Holly had become radicalized through a network of extremists, and his social media activity included disturbing content centered on violence, white supremacy, and anti-Semitism. He reportedly fired at students outside before moving inside the school, where he attacked one student and another outside.