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Law enforcement began an investigation into the 2025 Evergreen High School shooter’s concerning online behavior 75 days before the shooting
DENVER, CO - The House Judiciary Committee today passed a bill that would improve public safety by requiring social media companies to quickly respond to search warrants and report users to law enforcement if they engage in dangerous online behavior. HB26-1255, sponsored by Representative Tammy Story, passed by a vote of 7-4.
“The Evergreen High School shooting was horrifying and preventable, and it has had a long-lasting impact on our community. I’m sponsoring this bill to bolster law enforcement’s ability to keep dangerous people from terrorizing our communities,” said Rep. Tammy Story, D-Conifer. “Social media companies have access to important, life-saving information, and when that information can take over a month to get back to law enforcement agencies, it might be too late. We’re asking social media companies to better help us address public safety threats by requiring them to quickly respond to search warrants and notify law enforcement when a user poses a threat to the public. This bill could save lives and prevent communities from experiencing the horror of a mass shooting attack.”
Currently, social media platforms must respond to a search warrant within 35 days. HB26-1255 would shorten this timeframe, requiring social media companies to acknowledge receipt of search warrants within eight hours and comply within 24 hours. The bill also requires these platforms to have a streamlined process to handle search warrants and maintain a 24/7 staffed hotline to coordinate directly with law enforcement.
The bill also requires social media companies to report users to local law enforcement within 24 hours if they suspend, terminate or restrict a user for posting content that violates the platform’s policies.
In September 2025, a student opened fire at Evergreen High School, injuring two classmates before taking his own life. Seventy-five days before the shooting, the FBI began an investigation in response to a tip from the Anti-Defamation League about an online user who was planning a mass shooting. This account was later reported to belong to the Evergreen High School shooter. The FBI filed three separate search warrants, beginning on July 5. The third search warrant, which sought information for the shooter’s home address, was completed hours after the shooting happened. In October 2025, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office stated that the delay was due to lengthy search warrant response timelines.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also stated that they believed that the shooter was “radicalized through an extremist network”, as he had concerning social media activity and referenced mass shootings like the shooting at Columbine High School and the 2014 shooting at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Two hours before the shooting, he posted images on his X account of his tactical gear, which featured extremist, alt-right symbols.
Last month, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen introduced the Evergreen Community Safety Act of 2026, which would require social media companies to comply with a search warrant within 72 hours. California passed a similar law in 2024 and New York is currently considering similar legislation.