Bio

Duane Roger Morrison was born on July 23, 1953. He was from the Denver, Colorado area. At the time of the Platte Canyon High School attack, he was 53 years old. Law-enforcement reports and news coverage described him as living out of his vehicle before the incident, and investigators did not establish any known personal connection between him and Platte Canyon High School or the students he took hostage.

Morrison had some prior legal history before the school attack. News reports stated that he had been arrested in 1973 for larceny and marijuana possession. He was also arrested in 2006 on an obstruction-related charge in Colorado. These prior cases were not directly connected to the school shooting, but they were part of the public background released after the attack.

Before the hostage crisis, Morrison had access to multiple firearms. The CBI report states that he entered Platte Canyon High School armed with a handgun and claimed that his backpack contained explosives. Investigators later found no explosives, but the backpack contained items including duct tape, handcuffs, knives, rope, scissors, ammunition, and other objects.

The available verified record does not provide a full confirmed history of Morrison’s childhood, family life, education, employment, or personal relationships. Because of that, this profile does not add unsupported biographical details. What is verified is that Morrison was a 53-year-old man from the Denver area, had minor prior legal issues, had no confirmed connection to the school or hostages, and carried out a planned armed hostage attack at Platte Canyon High School.

Murder Story

On September 27, 2006, Duane Roger Morrison entered Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colorado. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation report states that the first emergency call came from the school at about 11:41 a.m. The caller reported that an armed male had entered classroom 206, fired a weapon, and was holding students hostage.

Morrison entered the classroom with a handgun and a backpack. He claimed the backpack contained explosives and threatened that the device would detonate if law enforcement tried to intervene. He ordered the teacher, male students, and several female students to leave the room. He kept seven female students inside and forced them to remain near the blackboard.

During the hostage crisis, Morrison sexually assaulted the girls. The CBI report states that one released hostage told investigators Morrison took individual hostages away from the blackboard and further into the classroom. She said he sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted. CBS News also reported that Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said the assaults were sexual in nature.

Morrison released one hostage at about 12:15 p.m. Between 12:35 p.m. and 1:45 p.m., he released four more hostages. Two girls remained inside the classroom. Negotiators tried to communicate with him, but Morrison increasingly used the hostages to pass messages instead of speaking directly to police.

As the crisis continued, Morrison told the remaining hostages that police would have to wait until 4:00 p.m. He also indicated that the crisis would end at that time. Law enforcement became concerned that he might detonate what he claimed was an explosive device or take further violent action against the remaining hostages. Command staff decided to attempt a rescue.

At about 3:45 p.m., SWAT officers entered classroom 206 using an explosive breach. Officers found Morrison near the far wall with the two remaining hostages. One of the hostages escaped or was pulled to safety. Morrison held Emily Keyes with a gun to her head. As officers advanced, Morrison shot Emily in the head. He also fired at officers and then shot himself.

Morrison was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:57 p.m. The CBI report states that SWAT officers fired three rounds that struck Morrison, but investigators also found that he had fired a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. Emily Keyes was airlifted to Saint Anthony’s Central Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:32 p.m.

Investigators searched Morrison’s backpack and the school area after the shooting. No explosives were found. The CBI report states that the backpack contained duct tape, handcuffs, knives, a stun gun, rope, scissors, massage oil, sexual items, and ammunition. Officers also conducted searches of classroom 206 and the surrounding school area for suspicious devices, but no explosive device was discovered.

The attack led to major grief and safety changes in the school community. Emily Keyes’s final text message to her family, “I luv you guys,” later inspired the creation of the I Love U Guys Foundation, which promotes school safety, crisis response, and reunification programs. CBS Colorado reported that the foundation grew from that message and helped spread the Standard Response Protocol to schools and districts.

Duane Roger Morrison died before he could be arrested, tried, or convicted. His legal status is therefore not “convicted,” but his confirmed classification for a true crime profile is murderer, with one homicide victim, seven hostage/sexual-assault victims, and death by suicide during the police rescue operation.