Kendrick Castillo Laid To Rest After Private Funeral
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) -- Kendrick Castillo, the teen killed in the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch, was laid to rest Friday after a private Catholic funeral. Witnesses say Castillo was the first person to charge the shooter.
"He saved so many people," Castillo's friend Charles Burroughs told CBS4 after the shooting.
"Kendrick Castillo died a legend. He died a trooper," Brendan Bialy said after the shooting. Bialy and a third student, Joshua Jones, helped Castillo take down the shooter.
The private funeral for Castillo was held at St. Mary Catholic Church in Littleton. Over 80 members of the Knights of Columbus from all over the state provided the honor guard as Castillo's casket was wheeled into the church.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral. The main theme of the homily was John 15:13 – "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Castillo's lifted Jeep was in the parking lot, with a black, white and blue American flag mounted on the back. Castillo's friends said he loved Jeeps and off-roading.
Castillo was laid to rest at Seven Stones Chatfield in Littleton.
Earlier in the week, hundreds of Jeep drivers lined up to helped escort his casket to the celebration of life. Though hardly any of the Jeep drivers in the processional knew Castillo personally, they all expressed extreme gratitude for his heroism.
Thousands of people attended the public memorial for Castillo at Cherry Hills Church in Littleton on Wednesday.
Eight other students were wounded in the shooting but have all been released from the hospital.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)