AURORA, Colo. — The dean of an Aurora school threatened the principal with a gun in his office and said he would “hurt all the people around” her during a closed door meeting on Wednesday, according to an arrest affidavit.
The dean at Aurora West College Preparatory Academy, 30-year-old Tushar Astab Rae, was arrested after he allegedly brought a gun to the school and threatened the staff members.
According to the affidavit, Rae had an argument with the principal of the school, Taisiya Tselolikhin, on Tuesday because he felt like he was “not receiving acknowledgement and recognition he felt he was owed.”
On Wednesday, 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.
He is currently on administrative leave and will not be allowed to step on school grounds pending the outcome of the investigation.