Woman wanted over alleged school threat found dead

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Colorado (USA): Florida woman suspected of making threats to Denver metropolitan area schools, which triggered shutdowns of 19 school districts here, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday morning, according to Jefferson County Sheriff, Jeff Shrader.

The police on Tuesday launched a massive manhunt for the suspect, identified as an 18-year-old white woman named Sol Pais, reported CNN. The police had asked people to report her if she is seen, warning them to not "approach her as she is considered armed and dangerous".

Authorities believe that she was "infatuated" with a shooting which occurred at Columbine High School in 1999. Two shooters had taken the lives of 12 students and a teacher at Columbine around 20 years ago, before taking their own lives in the school's library.

Pais had reportedly travelled from Miami to Denver on Monday night. However, authorities do not think she made it to the school grounds.

After arriving in Colorado, Pais went to a store and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, according to the FBI.

Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the Denver FBI office, had earlier said. "Her comments, her actions that we have heard about from others tend to cause us great concern that she may pose a threat to a school."

The incident comes right ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, with officers stating that it "opens a wound".

Gun violence is a serious threat to students in the USA, with many students having lost their lives due to lax gun laws.

Stringent gun laws have been sought by campaigns like 'Never Again MSD', helmed by student survivors from the February 14 shooting at Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida in recent times. They have demanded legislative action to be taken to prevent similar shootings in future and called out US policymakers who have received funding from the National Rifle Association (NRA).

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