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'You Wish For A Nice School Shooting': KNUS Cancels Chuck & Julie Show Over Controversial Comments

DENVER (CBS4) - News/talk radio station 710 KNUS has canceled the Chuck & Julie show over controversial comments made by host Chuck Bonniwell. On his show Tuesday afternoon, Bonniwell mentioned the impeachment process of President Donald Trump and said, "You wish for a nice school shooting to interrupt."

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(credit: 710KNUS)

KNUS issued a statement on Twitter, calling the comment inappropriate and confirming that the program was canceled.

During the show Tuesday, Bonniwell's co-host Julie Hayden responded to the comment and said, "No, don't even say that! Don't call us! Chuck didn't say that."

Chuck Bonniwell issued an apology Wednesday night on Twitter:

John Castillo, whose son, Kendrick Castillo, was killed in the STEM Highlands Ranch School shooting in May, called the comment "unbelievable" on Twitter.

"Where do we go from here, as I navigate through the loss of our son Kendrick and I meet with so many people I find that only a few do the right thing to make real change for the good to help our youth and others selfserving interest," John Castillo wrote on Twitter.

Kendrick Castillo (1)
Kendrick Castillo (credit: Charles Burroughs)

"He was my life," Kendrick's mother, Maria Castillo, said a court hearing for one of the two shooting suspects, Alec McKinney, 16. Her testimony brought the suspect to tears.

"Kendrick was the best son that I could have ever asked for, an amazing person," Maria Castillo said in court. "He was a perfect son… a good student… a good friend."

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Kendrick Castillo and his Jeep. (credit: Castillo family)

McKinney and Devon Erickson, 18, are charged with the death of Castillo, and injuring eight other classmates during the attack on May 7.

Kendrick Castillo rushed one of the shooters, along with fellow students Brendan Baily and Joshua Jones.

Baily said Castillo was the first to react when the shooter entered the classroom.

RELATED: 'Kendrick Castillo Died A Legend': Brendan Bialy Credits Friend With Stopping School Shooter

"Kendrick went out as a hero… he was a foot away from the shooter and instead of running away he ran toward it," Bialy said. "Kendrick is like a bowling ball… the gunman was against the wall… he didn't know what hit him."

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Brendan Bialy (CBS)

"He was a fantastic and wholesome person... top tier," Bialy added. Bialy was not hurt in the shooting.

Jones was shot twice in the leg while trying to disarm one of the shooters.

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Joshua Jones (credit: CBS)

RELATED: Joshua Jones Recalls Jumping Into Action During STEM School Shooting

John Castillo said he feels it's important for him to call attention to the problem of school shootings, and to continue to fight for justice in his son's death. He and his wife drove their son's beloved Jeep to every hearing for the suspects.

RELATED: Parents of Kendrick Castillo Drive His Jeep To Advocate For Justice

John Castillo is scheduled to speak on KNUS Thursday afternoon, on the Steffan Tubbs Show.

"I see Kendrick's face every day at my desk; covered NINE school shootings. They're not funny," Tubbs wrote on Twitter.

Colorado was the epicenter of one of the most prominent and devastating school shootings in America -- 12 students and one teacher were killed at Columbine High School in Jefferson County on April 20, 1999.

There were also shootings at Platte Canyon High School In Bailey on Sept. 27, 2006, at Arapahoe High School in Centennial on Dec. 13, 2013, and at Deer Creek High School in Jefferson County on Feb. 23, 2010

As for Bonniwell, he also publishes the Cherry Creek/Glendale Chronicle. The cancellation of his show on KNUS comes one month after former KNUS host Craig Silverman claimed he was fired from the conservative station for criticizing President Trump.

Officials at KNUS said Silverman was not fired and his agreement with the station as an independent contractor is still in effect.
Silverman is now a columnist at the Colorado Sun. He told CBS4 he announced on KNUS that he thought he might be let go eventually, because he wanted to be a commentator about the president's impeachment inquiry on other media channels. He added that he thinks talking about that topic on his show fast-tracked his dismissal. He also went on CNN to discuss the situation.

"Does it have to do with Donald Trump? I think so," Silverman said. "I wanted to talk about the impeachment inquiry and a lot of these facts are very damning against Donald Trump."

Brian Taylor, the Regional Vice President and General Manager of Salem Media Group told CBS4 the issue was about Silverman speaking on other media channels.

Brian Taylor
Brian Taylor (credit: CBS)

"We asked Craig to not appear there because we consider him an important part of our team and we prefer that he not work for a competitor," Taylor explained. "He decided it was important to work across town, and so on his program on Saturday, he announced that. And that's what prompted our decision to take him off air."

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