DENVER – The former dean of students at Aurora West College Preparatory Academy who was arrested three times this spring and charged with attempted assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a weapon on school grounds died overnight Monday, authorities confirmed to Denver7.
Tushar Rae, 31, died overnight Monday, Denver police confirmed on Tuesday. Aurora police said they were told by Denver police that Rae’s death was a suicide. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner said Rae was found dead just before 9 a.m. Monday in the 5100 block of Hannibal Street. The office said his cause and manner of death were pending investigation.
Aurora West Prep Principal Garrett Douglas sent a letter home to students and parents Wednesday notifying them of Rae’s death, and said, “at this time, authorities tell us that it was a death by suicide.”
“We understand that this news may be difficult to hear. We shared this news with students this morning and we have additional counselors available for our students and staff. If you think your student needs additional support, please let our front office staff know,” Douglas wrote.
Rae was charged in April with three felonies and a misdemeanor in relation to gun threats he was accused of making at the school in early April.
According to police documents , Rae threatened to shoot the school’s principal and two other administrators after bringing a gun to school, then left the school.
Rae was arrested later that day at his home in Denver on suspicion of felony menacing and interference with school staff charges. But he posted a $25,000 bond, after which the Aurora Police Department sent officers to the school and the homes of school staff to ensure their safety.
He would be re-arrested the next day in Denver and held on a $200,000 bond on suspicion of felony menacing and false imprisonment charges. The original case was dropped when Rae made his first court appearance April 10 on the latter charges. That case was merged into the case heard in court Monday, according to the district attorney's office.
The principal of the school later resigned in May. Rae posted bond in the cases and had been out of jail pending his next court appearances.
After the last incident in which he was arrested, the judge ordered Rae to relinquish his firearms. The alleged victim in that case had told police at one point that “she didn’t want Rae to commit suicide” and that Rae had previously discussed suicide with her.
Rae’s cases will not move forward now that he is deceased. Douglas, the principal at Aurora West, gave students and parents resources for suicide prevention and wrote: “Suicide, when it does occur, is a very complicated act. It is usually caused by a mental health issue, such as depression, which can prevent a person from thinking clearly about his or her problems and how to solve them.”
Colorado’s suicide hotline, Colorado Crisis Services, can be reached at 1-844-493-8255 or by texting “TALK” to 38255.
