AURORA, Colo. — The principal of Aurora West College Preparatory Academy has been placed on leave one week after the school’s dean threatened administrators and brought a gun to the school. Aurora Public Schools confirmed Tuesday night that principal Taya Tselolikhin is currently on administrative leave.
According to the arrest affidavit, Tushar Astab Rae, 30, had an argument with Tselolikhin on April 2 because he felt like he was “not receiving acknowledgement and recognition he felt he was owed.”
The next day, Rae did not show up for work but allegedly texted Tselolikhin around 2 p.m. asking her to meet him in his office.
When they got to his office, he shut the door and pulled out his handgun, put it on the desk and said “Try to f— with me,” according to the affidavit.
“You shouldn’t have said what you said. I don’t want to hurt you, I’m going to hurt all the people around you,” he threatened, according to the affidavit.
Rae then allegedly threatened to “shoot the knee caps off” two other school administrators, adding that he had two extra rounds in his pocket.
Following the threat, the affidavit said that two students came to his office, at which point he put the gun away and they had a brief conversation with them before Tselolikhin also left.
She put the school on lockdown and Rae was later taken into custody at his home without incident.
Rae is also currently on administrative leave and will not be allowed to step on school grounds pending the outcome of the investigation.
Aurora Public Schools did not provide details on why Tselolikhin was placed on leave.