Surveillance video shows the moment a transgender sex offender tried to kidnap a boy during recess at his elementary school.
Solomon Galligan, 33, was caught on camera walking into a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado, around 2:20 p.m. on April 22, according to an Aurora police affidavit.
In surveillance footage, Galligan is seen walking toward the children in the field before running away from him after he tried to grab them and lunge at another.
Parents were shown the images for the first time at a meeting on Monday and, unsurprisingly, their reaction was surprise.
Dante White said: ‘We expect the kids to embellish a little bit, but the pictures showed exactly what was said. It was difficult. It was really difficult.’
Surveillance video shows moment transgender sex offender tried to kidnap boy during recess at his elementary school
Solomon Galligan, 33, was caught on camera walking into a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado, around 2:20 p.m. on April 22, according to an Aurora police affidavit.
When Galligan tripped over a white blanket he was carrying, the boy managed to escape. According to the affidavit, he stood up and advanced toward the young man.
White says the school apologized for not intervening in the incident after he and other families saw the video. The next step is going to be vital.
‘W“We’ve prescribed a couple of things that we wanted done,” White said. “We want an independent investigation into it, we want people to be put on administrative leave, we want people to be fired.”
They are also calling for more security training, more fencing around the school and more surveillance equipment, according to CBS News.
‘This is something you fear as a parent. They are in the custody of adults who are supposed to be trained professionals, and they weren’t. “They failed categorically across the board, from on-site management to Cherry Creek management to security chiefs,” White added.
“We ask for responsibility.”
The district has promised to make improvements, continues to meet with parents and has already updated where surveillance will take place.
‘We are doing an exhaustive investigation. We are looking at exactly what happened and also what happened afterward. “We consider safety a high priority,” said Lauren Snell, school district spokesperson.
Witnesses reported to police that children were yelling “stranger danger” to alert adults that there was an unwanted person on school grounds.
He was caught on camera walking into a field at Black Forest Hills Elementary School (pictured) in Aurora, Colorado.
Galligan stopped what he was doing, left the surrounding area and headed east.
According to the complaint, the boy the man was chasing informed authorities that the suspect had long dreadlocks and was wearing a dark pantsuit and a blue hoodie.
The child also reported that he had white powder on his face and it was caused by alcohol.
Immediately after the incident, a parent alerted school staff that a man matching the suspect’s description was seen at a nearby Walgreens.
When police approached Galligan at the pharmacy, he claimed to have been assaulted and asked to be taken to the hospital.
An officer conducted a background check at the hospital and discovered that Galligan was a registered sex offender.
The suspect fled after students at the school shouted “stranger danger” to alert teachers to his presence.
Officers discovered that Galligan was a registered sex offender and had previously been convicted in 2011.
He had previously been convicted in 2011 of grabbing, touching or groping the intimate parts of another person’s body without their consent, according to the affidavit.
The suspect was arrested for second-degree kidnapping. He is currently being held in the Arapahoe County Jail on a $25,000 cash or bond.
Galligan previously shared posts about her gender transition in 2011.
“So I’m starting to take my hormone shots and I really can’t wait. I’m taking my hormone pills. I’ve been taking them for almost 4 months,” the post read.
“I wake up all depressed and crying, but it’ll be worth it in the end, you know what I mean. I’m so excited, my measurements are already changing and I’m super excited.”
