Colorado STEM school student Brendan Bialy helped disarm gunman

A high school senior who plans to become a Marine after graduation was among the students who tackled a gunman in a Colorado school on Tuesday.

Brendan Bialy attends the STEM School Highlands Ranch, which is not far from the site of the Columbine High School shooting 20 years ago.

Bialy's father, Brad, confirmed to NBC News that the teenager and other classmates tackled and disarmed one of the two shooters.

"We are deeply saddened for the victims, families, friends, and community on this tragic day," the Bialy family said in an emailed statement issued by lawyer Mark L. Bryant. "We'd like to commend the immediate response of law enforcement and assure all we are strong with the love of our families, community, friends, and every one sending concern, wishes, and strength. We will persevere."

Bialy plans to join the Marine Corps after graduating, according to his father.

One of Bialy's classmates, Nui Giasolli, thanked Bialey and other classmates for their heroism. The students, she said during an interview Wednesday on "Today," gave "all of us enough time to get underneath our desks, to get ourselves safe, and to run across the room to escape."

The shooting took place after 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Two suspects are in police custody and have been described as an adult male and a juvenile male. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said it had identified one of the suspects as Devon Erickson, 18.

The family of Kendrick Castillo, 18, confirmed to NBC News that he was the student killed during the shooting.

The incident came just under a week after two people were killed and four others injured in a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

It emerged that one of the slain U.N.C. students, Riley Howell, 21, challenged the shooter giving police extra time to confront him. The local police chief hailed him as a hero while his family said they were "beyond proud."