Parents in a Colorado community are outraged after a transgender sex offender allegedly tried to kidnap elementary school students during recess after entering the premises without incident.
surveillance picture According to information obtained by CBS News, a police officer believed to be 33-year-old Solomon Galligan entered the playground at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora on the afternoon of April 22 and approached the children.
Video: Man seen lunges at child in attempted kidnapping at Colorado school https://t.co/ZOroDc6PKb pic.twitter.com/dHOgLAsCrH
— CBS Colorado (@CBSNewsColorado) April 30, 2024
who was garrigan was convicted of a crime In 2011, for “grabbing, touching, or groping another person’s intimate body parts without their consent.” daily mailthen tried to capture the boy, a potential victim, but the boy ran away.
The alleged predator then tripped and fell onto a towel before lunging at another child, according to an Aurora police affidavit.
Witnesses told police that the children began shouting that “strangers are dangerous” and asked Galligan to leave the campus.
The child the man allegedly lunged at stated, “There was white powder on his face and he smelled of alcohol.”
Social media posts from 2011 seen by the outlet show Galligan documenting her gender change.
One post read: “I’m starting hormone injections and I really can’t wait to start taking them. I’ve been on them for almost 4 months now.”
“I wake up in the morning and I’m depressed and crying, but I think it’s worth it in the end. You know what I mean, but I’m really excited. My measurements are already changing and I’m so excited. I am excited.”
In old photos of Galligan, she appears to be wearing light powder-like makeup.
The trespassing suspect was found by a parent at a nearby Walgreens shortly after the incident and was arrested.
When police approached Galligan inside the store, he claimed to be the victim of an assault and asked to be taken to the hospital.
A background check conducted by law enforcement revealed that he was a registered sex offender.
Galligan was booked into the Arapahoe County Jail on a charge of second-degree kidnapping under a $25,000 cash or surety bond.
Although he is now off the streets, parents at Black Forest Hills Elementary School are not satisfied with campus security or teachers’ safety awareness.
Parents who saw the surveillance footage for the first time during Monday’s school assembly were understandably shocked.
“I hope the kids embellish it a little bit, but the footage that was there showed exactly what it was about. It was tough. It was really tough,” Dante White said.
School officials have apologized, but White said they need to do more to prevent something like this from happening again.
“We prescribed some items that we wanted,” he said. “We want an independent investigation, we want people to be put on leave, we want people fired.”
Several parents have also requested “safety training, additional fencing around the school, and additional monitoring equipment.” CBS News‘The Daily Mail reported.
“This is scary as a parent. They’re being protected by adults who are supposed to be trained professionals, but they weren’t. They’ve gone from field management to Cherry Creek management to security responsibilities. It has failed across the board, right down to the very first person,” White added.
“We want accountability.”
Cherry Creek School District officials said an investigation is underway.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation. We are looking into exactly what happened and what happened afterward. We consider safety as our top priority,” the district said. Representative Lauren Snell said.
