April 20, 1999: Shooting at Columbine High
18 minutes of terror
g
Harris and Klebold caught on the high school's security
cameras in the cafeteria.
At 6:15 a.m., on Tuesday,
April 20th, 1999,
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold arrived
at the local bowling alley for their early morning class. The class was
Bowling, and they never missed it. Dylan wore a shirt with the label "Serial
Killer" in the front, but the shirt had been seen before and nobody thought
anything of it. Neither of them gave any indication of what they were planning
to do that day. They acted as they would've acted on any regular day at
school, except that after class ended, they left the bowling alley, and did
not return to Columbine as they were supposed to until 11:10 a.m.
At 11:10 a.m. on April 20th, 1999,
Harris and Klebold arrived at Columbine in separate cars, almost
simultaneously. Harris parked in the Junior Parking lot and Klebold in the
Senior Parking lot at spaces not assigned to them. From these spots, both of
them had perfect views of the first floor cafeteria, and each one was covering
a main exit of the school. The two entered the cafeteria a few minutes before
"A" lunch began and placed two duffel bags, each one with a 20-lb. (9 kg)
propane bomb inside rigged to explode at 11:17 a.m. At the moment they entered
the cafeteria, a custodian removed the security camera video tape and rewound
it, so the act of placing the bombs was not recorded, although once restarted,
one could clearly see the bags.
Their initial plan of attack
was not a shooting, but to wait outside the cafeteria for the bombs to explode
and then shoot anyone who attempted to escape. The bombs had enough explosive
power to take out the entire cafeteria and bring the library above crashing
down. Each shooter returned to his car to wait until the bombs exploded so
they could proceed with their plan, which was to kill at least 500 students.
When the cafeteria bombs failed to explode, Harris and Klebold met up near
Harris' car and armed themselves with a duffel bag and backpack containing two
sawed-off shotguns,
a 9mm semi-automatic carbine
rifle, and a 9mm
Tec-9 semi-automatic pistol then
proceeded toward the cafeteria. They went to the top of the west entrance
steps, the highest point on campus. From this vantage point, the cafeteria
side entrance was at the bottom of the staircase, the school's main West
Entrance was to their left, and the athletic fields to their right (for better
reference, this is the same outdoor staircase seen in many pictures of the
attack).
At 11:19 a.m., a witness saw
Eric Harris yell "GO! GO!" At that moment they pulled out their shotguns,
aiming them at Rachel Scott
and Richard Castaldo, who were sitting on a grassy knoll to their left (next
to the West Entrance of the school) eating lunch. Both were hit and critically
injured. After the initial shots, one of the shooters shot Scott again,
killing her. It is unclear which one shot first and which one killed Scott.
Next, Harris took off his trenchcoat and took out his 9mm Tec-9 semi
automatic weapon, aiming it down the West Staircase. Daniel Rohrbough and his
two friends, Sean Graves and Lance Kirklin, were walking up the staircase
directly below the shooters. Lance reported seeing them standing at the top,
when suddenly they began shooting towards him. Rohrbough fell back onto
Graves, a bullet piercing through Graves' foot. They then turned their guns on
Kirklin, standing across from them; all three fell wounded. The two then
turned and began shooting south (away from the school) at five students
sitting on the grassy knoll adjacent to the steps, opposite the West Entrance
of the school. Michael Johnson was hit but kept running and escaped. Mark
Taylor fell to the ground crippled; he played dead, and the other three
escaped uninjured. As they shot, Sean Graves stood up and limped down the
staircase into the cafeteria's side entrance where he fell injured in front of
the door. Klebold walked down the steps heading toward the cafeteria; as he
descended, he shot Lance Kirklin again. Daniel Rohrbough began to struggle
down the steps towards the bottom of the staircase. Klebold walked up to him
and shot him in the head at close range, killing him. He continued down the
steps and stepped inside the cafeteria, walking over the injured Sean Graves,
who lay at the Cafeteria Entrance. It is speculated that Klebold was checking
to see why the propane bombs had failed to explode. As Klebold stepped into
the cafeteria, Harris began to shoot down the steps at several students
sitting near the cafeteria's entrance, hitting Anne-Marie Hochhalter as she
attempted to get up and run. After a few seconds, Klebold walked back up the
stairs to meet up with Eric at the top.
Once at the top, Eric and Dylan attempted to shoot at students standing
near the soccer
field a few yards away but did not succeed at hitting anyone. They then threw
pipe bombs at the parking lot, roof, and hillside to the East, none of which
detonated. Inside the school, teacher Patti Nielson walked towards the West
Entrance with student Brian Anderson. She was about to walk outside and ask
the two students to "knock it off" because she thought they were shooting a
video or pulling a prank. Anderson had just opened the first set of double
doors and Nielson came up behind him when Klebold and Harris shot out the
windows. Brian Anderson was injured by flying glass and Nielson was hit in the
shoulder by shrapnel. She stood up and ran down the hall and into the library
where she hid under the administrator desk. Anderson was caught between the
exterior and interior doors.
Meanwhile, a police deputy arrived at the scene and began shooting at
Harris and Klebold, distracting them from the injured Brian Anderson. Anderson
staggered out of the area and made it to a utility closet next to the library
where he remained until the ordeal ended. Harris attempted to shoot at the
officer, who then radioed in a Code 33 (officer in need of emergency
assistance). Harris' gun jammed, so he ran inside the school with Klebold.
The pair proceeded down the main North Hallway shooting at anyone they saw
and throwing pipe bombs. While doing so, they hit student Stephanie Munson in
the ankle. She was able to walk out of the school and make it to a house
across the street. They then shot out the windows to the East Entrance of the
School. They walked back down the North Hallway, up to a bathroom entrance,
and began taunting students inside, saying such things as "we know you're in
there" and "let's kill anyone we find in here" but never actually entered the
bathroom. After going up and down the hall several more times, shooting at any
students they saw (but not injuring any), they headed back towards the West
Entrance and turned the corner to the Library Hallway.
Moments earlier Coach Dave Sanders had evacuated the cafeteria through the
staircase leading up to the second floor. The staircase was around the corner
from the Library Hallway in the main South Hallway. He and another student
turned the corner and were walking down the Library Hallway when they saw the
shooters coming around the corner (from the North Hallway). They quickly
turned around and ran the other way (it is believed, but not confirmed, that
Sanders was heading for the library to help evacuate the students there). The
shooters came around the corner and shot at both of them, hitting Dave Sanders
as he reached the South Hallway but missing the student. The student ran into
a science classroom (SCI-1) while Sanders struggled on the floor. The shooters
went back up the North Hallway and Sanders struggled over to the Science area
where a teacher took him into room SCI-3. Two students administered first aid,
but help came too late. He died at approximately 3:00 p.m.
In the library, the shooters would begin their deadliest massacre. Inside,
Patti Nielson was on the phone with
9-1-1 explaining the situation. The
time period between when she entered the library and when the shooters entered
the library was approximately five minutes. Before entering, the shooters
threw two pipe bombs into the cafeteria from the staircase in the South
Hallway, both which exploded (one of which can be seen on the security tapes).
They then threw another in the Library Hallway which exploded, damaging some
lockers. The two then walked through the heavy doors of the library where 52
students, 3 library staff, and Ms. Nielson were hiding under desks and inside
exterior break rooms.
As he entered, Harris shot out a display case at the opposite end of the
administrator desk, injuring student Evan Todd (who was hiding under a copier
adjacent to the display case). Harris and Klebold then yelled for everyone to
"Get up!" so loud that they could be heard on the 9-1-1 recording. Staff and
students hiding in the library exterior rooms said they heard the gunmen say
things such as "Everyone with a white cap or baseball cap, stand up!" and "All
jocks stand up! We'll get the guys in white hats!" (wearing a white hat at
Columbine was a sign of being a jock). When no one stood up, one was heard to
say: "Fine, I'll start shooting!" The two made their way down to the opposite
side of the library, down two rows of computers. Evan Todd used the time to
move behind the administrator's desk. Kyle Velasquez was sitting at the north
(or upper) row of computers; he had not ducked down below the desk. Klebold
shot him first, killing him. The shooters then set down their duffel bags
filled with ammunition at the south (or lower) row of computers and began
reloading their weapons. The two proceeded over to the windows, facing the
outside staircase they were just at. They noticed police evacuating students
and began to shoot at them; police returned fire.
Klebold turned away from the windows and fired his shotgun at a nearby
table, injuring Patrick Ireland, Daniel Steepleton and Makai Hall. Then he
took off his trenchcoat. Harris grabbed his shotgun and walked over to the
south (or lower) computer desk, putting his gun underneath the desk without
looking to see who was under it. He shot and killed Steven Curnow, who was
underneath the furthest desk in the row. He then shot under the next computer
desk, injuring Kasey Ruegsegger.
Next, he walked over to the table across from the lower computer row,
tapped the top twice with his gun, knelt down and said, "peek-a-boo," shooting
Cassie Bernall
in the head. The recoil from the weapon hit his face, making his nose bleed.
(Popular belief has it that Cassie was the individual who was asked "Do you
believe in God?" but it has since come out that the shooters asked this same
question of several students; Cassie was not one of them.) Harris then turned
to the next table where student Bree Pasquale sat next to the table, rather
than beneath it (there wasn't enough room for her to be beneath the table).
Harris asked her if she wanted to die, to which she replied with a plea for
her life. Witnesses report him as being disoriented as this occurred. As
Harris taunted Pasquale, Patrick Ireland moved out of hiding to try and
administer first aid to one of the two injured near him; seeing this, Klebold
shot at him, hitting him twice in the head, and once in the foot as he tried
to get back under cover. The shot to his foot blew his shoe clear off. He was
knocked unconscious, but remarkably survived.
Next, Klebold walked East towards another set of tables and discovered
Isaiah Shoels, Matthew Ketchner, and Craig Scott (Rachel
Scott's brother, and popular athletes at the school)
hiding under one. He attempted to pull Isaiah out from underneath the table
but was unable to. He called to Harris, who became reoriented and joined him,
drawing his attention away from Bree Pasquale. Klebold and Harris taunted
Shoels for a few seconds, and Klebold made a racial comment towards him.
Harris then knelt down and shot him, killing him. Klebold also knelt down and
opened fire, hitting and killing Matthew Ketcher. Craig Scott remained
remarkably uninjured in his friend's blood, pretending to be dead. Eric then
turned and threw a CO2 bomb at the table where Hall, Steepleton,
and Ireland were. Makai threw the bomb back out where it exploded further
south (away from the shooters).
Harris then went over to the book cases between the west and center section
of tables in the library. He jumped on the book cases and shook them, then
shot at something in that general area (it is not known what he shot at, since
no one could see him at this point). Klebold walked through the main area past
the first set of bookcases, the central desk area, and a second set of
bookcases into the east area. Harris walked past the central area and met up
with him there. Klebold shot out a display case next to the door, then turned
and shot at the closest table to him, injuring Mark Kingten. He turned to the
table to his left (east) and shot at it, injuring Lisa Kreutz and Val Schnurr
with the same bullet. Klebold then closed his distance at the table and shot
as quickly as he could, killing
Lauren Townsend.
Harris, in the meantime, went over to another table where two girls were
hiding, bent down and looked at them, then dismissed them as "Pathetic."
Schnurr, who had been hurt badly, began to cry out at that point "Oh, God help
me!" Klebold went back to her and asked her if she believed in God. She
floundered in her answer, saying no at first and then yes, trying to get the
answer 'right'. He asked her why and she said it was because it was what her
family believed. He taunted her and walked away (this story was later wrongly
attributed to Cassie Bernall).
From there, Harris moved to another table, shooting and injuring Nicole
Nowlen and John Tomlin. When Tomlin tried to crawl out, Klebold shot and
killed him. Harris then walked around the table and back towards the table
where Lauren Townsend lay. Behind it, Kelly Fleming, like Bree Pasquale, sat
next to the table rather than beneath it. Harris shot her in the back, killing
her instantly. He then continued to shoot at the table behind her, hitting
Townsend and Kreutz again, and wounding Jeanna Park. Despite hitting Townsend
again, autopsies determined she had already been killed by the first shot.
At 11:34 a.m., the shooters moved to the center of the library, where they
reloaded their weapons at a table midway across the room. Harris noticed a
nearby student whom he recognized and told him to identify himself. The
student was an acquaintance of Klebold's and he asked him what he was doing,
to which Klebold replied: "Oh, just killing people." The student asked if they
were going to kill him and Klebold told him to get out of the library. He fled
immediately, making a safe escape through the library's main entrance.
After the student was gone, Eric turned and fired on the table directly
north of where they'd been, shooting and killing Daniel Mauser in the face at
close range. Then both shooters moved south and fired under a table there,
injuring Jennifer Doyle and Stephen Eubanks, and killing Corey DePooter. These
would be their last deadly shots, excepting their suicides.
Harris and Klebold moved away from the table and began heading toward the
administrator counter. Harris threw a
Molotov cocktail toward the
southwestern end of the library as he went, but it failed to explode. He then
came around the east side of the counter and Klebold joined him from the west,
both converging near where Evan Todd had moved to after the copier incident.
The shooters made fun of him and debated killing him but eventually walked
away. Klebold fired a shot into the library staff break room, hitting a
television. He then slammed a chair down on top of the computer terminal that
was on the library counter, underneath the table which Patti Nielson was
hiding. The two walked out of the library at 11:37 a.m., ending their brutal
massacre.
Almost immediately after the shooters left the library at 11:37 a.m., the
34 uninjured and 10 of the injured evacuated the room through the north door,
leading out onto the sidewalk adjacent the west entrance where the rampage had
begun. Patrick Ireland, who had been knocked unconscious, and Lisa Kreutz, who
was nearly paralyzed, remained behind. Patti Nielson dropped the phone and ran
into the exterior break room Klebold had shot into earlier, joining the three
library staff already inside; they locked themselves in and remained there
until they were freed at approximately 3:30 p.m.
After leaving the library, the pair went into the science area and threw a
small fire bomb into an empty storage closet. When the bomb exploded, they ran
off. A teacher in the adjacent room put out the fire. They proceeded up
towards the South Hallway, stopped, and began shooting into an empty science
room (SCI-8) at the end of the hall. Next, they went down the staircase into
the cafeteria where they were first caught by the security cameras. As
recorded, Harris attempted to detonate one of the failed propane bombs without
success; he then took a sip from one of the drinks left behind by fleeing
students. Another Molotov cocktail was thrown but it too, failed. The two then
left the cafeteria and back up the stairs, as they did so, the molotov
cocktail exploded (this can been seen in the security tapes) causing a fire
that was extinguished by the sprinklers; they left the cafeteria at around
11:45 a.m. Once back on the upper level, they walked around the main North and
South Hallways of the school without any direction shooting aimlessly at
anything. They walked through the South Hallway, past the Social Studies
section and into the main office before proceeding back onto the North
Hallway. Several times they looked through the small windows on the classroom
doors and even made eye contact with students, but never attempted to enter
the room. At 11:55 a.m., the two returned to the Cafeteria and entered the
kitchen briefly, only to return back up the staircase, and into the South
Hallway, at 11:57 a.m.
Sometime between 12:02 p.m. and 12:05 p.m. the shooters entered the library
again, but it was empty except for the unconscious Patrick Ireland and Lisa
Kreutz (who played dead). It is not known what they did between the time they
left the cafeteria and the time they re-entered the library. Once inside, they
attempted to shoot out the windows at policemen, without success. They then
moved over to the table next to where Matthew Ketchner and Isaiah Shoels lay;
there, they shot themselves, committing
suicide. At 2:38 p.m., Patrick
Ireland regained consciousness and ran over to the windows, where he attempted
to exit. He was then taken out of the school through the library windows by
SWAT team
members; this was famously televised. Lisa Kreutz remained injured in the
library until police discovered the scene at 3:25 p.m., she was removed from
the scene then along with Ms. Nielson and the three library staff.
Others injured
A few other students and one teacher were injured in the school after
taking a 15ft (4,57m) fall through the ceiling above the staff lounge in an
attempt to escape from the school. These injuries were not attributed to the
shooters. Those injured in this incident were:
- Nicholas Foss, 18
- Joyce Jankowski, 45
- Adam Kryler, 16
The shooting stops
By noon, SWAT
teams were stationed outside the school and ambulances started taking the
wounded to local hospitals. Parents gathered at nearby Leawood Elementary
School. The call for additional ammunition to police officers in case of a
shootout came at 12:20. However, the
killers had stopped shooting at 12:00 p.m.
The SWAT teams started checking every room in the high school in great
detail by 12:30 p.m. Even desks and backpacks were examined. Authorities
reported pipe bombs being found by 1:00 p.m.
SWAT teams started to free hidden students by 2:30 p.m. The students and
teachers were taken away, questioned, and were offered medical care in small
holding areas. Officers found bodies in the library by 3:30, removing the
injured Lisa Kreutz.
By 4:00 the sheriff made an initial estimate of 25 dead students and
teachers; his estimate was 10 over the true count but closer to the total
count of dead and wounded. He also stated that police officers were searching
the bodies of Harris and Klebold in the library. At 4:30 the school was
declared safe, yet at 5:30 additional officers were called in as more
explosives were found in the parking lot. At 6:15 p.m., officials found a bomb
in a car in the parking lot, so the sheriff marked the entire school as a
crime scene with yards of yellow tape. All of the dead were still inside the
school at the time. At 10:45 p.m., one of the homemade bombs detonated while
police tried to defuse it.
Aftermath
April 21: bomb squad combs the school, first press conference held
The next day, on April 21,
bomb squads combed the high school looking for bombs. At 08:30 a.m., the
official death toll of fifteen was released. The bomb squad declared the
building safe for officials to enter. By 11:30, a spokesman of the sheriff
said, "The investigation is under way." Thirteen of the bodies were still
inside the high school as investigators photographed the building.
By 2:30 p.m., a press conference was held by Jefferson County District
Attorney David Thomas and Sheriff John Stone, saying that they suspected that
other children helped plan the shooting. Formal identifications of the dead
had not taken place yet, but families of the children thought to have been
killed were notified that this probably happened. Throughout the late
afternoon and early evening, the rest of the bodies were gradually removed out
of the school and taken to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office to be
identified and autopsied. By 5:00 p.m., the identities of those dead started
to be known.
April 30: Second press conference, officials don't mention Guerra affidavit
A few days after the shooting, high-ranking members of Jefferson County and
the Jefferson County Sheriff Office met together to decide if they should
reveal that investigator Guerra knew of the Harris website two years prior to
the massacre. They decide to not disclose this information at a press
conference held April 30th, nor did they mention it in any other way. Over the
next two years the original Guerra documents were lost.
September 2001: Guerra affidavit becomes publicly known
The existence of the Guerra affidavit becomes known to the general public
and a series of grand jury investigations are launched into the coverup
activities of the Jefferson County officials. The final grand jury
investigation is released in
September 2004.[1]
(http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040917/ap_on_re_us/columbine_investigation_5)[2]
(http://media.mnginteractive.com/media/paper36/Columbine_Grand_Jury_Report.pdf)
Aftershock and the search for reasons
Analysis of journals and videos left behind by Harris and Klebold revealed
that the pair had developed an elaborate, sometimes fantastic plan for not
only the school shooting, but also a massacre in the neighborhood and, if they
were unable to escape from the United States, a planned hijacking of an
airplane which they would then crash into
New York City.
In the aftermath of the shootings, there was a great deal of debate about
what "provoked" the killers and whether anything could have been done to
prevent the crime. The reality of social
cliques in high schools was a
frequent topic of discussion. Many argued that the pair's isolation from the
rest of their classmates prompted feelings of helplessness, insecurity and
depression,
as well as a strong desire for attention. Some schools also began programs to
expose and stop school bullying,
which many charged had fueled anger and resentment within Harris and Klebold.
Supposedly, the two had briefly offered themselves as "bullying bodyguards" to
keep other kids from being teased; however, their actions were inappropriate,
and they soon were caught carrying fake guns.
In the weeks following the shootings,
media reports about the two killers
portrayed them as outcast "nerds"
who were unpopular and ostracized by much of the school's population; later
such characterizations were revised as both Harris and Klebold were documented
to have both a close circle of friends and a wider informal social group.
(However, neither were they "popular" kids and could best be described as
being members of the school's "rejects", although by no means were they
isolated.) It was also reported that anti-gay epithets were frequently
directed at them; although their actual sexual orientation was unknown; both
were known to have had girlfriends. Harris and Klebold were peripheral members
of a club called the "Trenchcoat
Mafia" in which they wore heavy black
trench coats.
A backlash against the "Goth"
subculture resulted from both students and administrators across the country.
By the time of the shootings, most of the major members of the group had
already either graduated or dropped out of Columbine.
According to Harris' journal entries, the original date was chosen as
April 19
because it was a date which Robyn Anderson, one of the people who purchased
the guns and close friends with Klebold, would not be present. Due to delays
in building one of the 20-lb (9 kg). propane bombs, the date was moved to
April 20.
Some analysts noted that the date of the shooting coincided with
Adolf Hitler's
110th birth anniversary,
and was one day after the anniversary of the
Oklahoma City Bombing,
though it was not known whether knowledge of either of these dates influenced
Harris and Klebold. The shootings were perhaps plotted for these days because
of their proximity to end of the year activities, such as prom (which had been
held the previous Saturday), end of the year examinations, and graduation,
ensuring high attendance rates.
Harris and Klebold were fans of violent video games such as "Doom"
(in fact, Harris often created levels for the game; these were widely
distributed, and can still occasionally be found on the Internet as the
Harris levels.
Rumors that the layout of these levels resembled that of Columbine High School
circulated but have been debunked as documented on the
Snopes urban
legends website
[3] (http://www.snopes.com/spoons/noose/doom.htm)).
Some analysts argued that part of the killers' problem may have been a result
of their constant exposure to violent imagery in such video games, as well as
music,
and movies,
theorizing that their obsession with these forms of media may have led them to
have trouble telling the difference between reality and fantasy. A lawsuit
against several video game manufacturers was filed as a result by parents of
some of the victims.
It has been publicly revealed that Harris had been prescribed and was
taking Luvox
(Fluvoxamine maleate),
an
SSRI
antidepressant,
at the time of the shooting spree. Some analysts have argued that this
medication may have contributed to Harris' actions, and claimed that an
alleged side-effect of these drugs is a loss of empathy for other human
beings, though no evidence was provided to support these claims. A correlation
is claimed between "school shooters" whose medical history has been made
public and use of or recent discontinuation of such medications. Other
researchers have pointed out that such claims are not based upon rigorous
scientific testing.
Long-term impact
In response to concerns over the causes of Columbine and other
school massacres,
many schools later instituted new anti-bully
policies as well as so-called "zero
tolerance" approaches to weapons and threatening
behavior. Despite the horrific nature of the Columbine incident, some experts
in social science
feel the zero-tolerance in schools has gone overboard. In the months following
the shooting, some Christians
were captivated by reports of
Cassie Bernall, who was originally
believed to have been asked "Do you believe in God?" by one of the shooters,
and to have responded "Yes" before being shot and killed. Alternate accounts
surfaced soon thereafter, attributing the remark to victim
Rachel Scott.
Both Bernall and Scott were regarded as Christian "martyrs" by many. The
official investigation attributed the statement to survivor Valeen Schnurr.
Columbine has also become a household name and is associated with anybody
who wants to do a school shooting. Charles Andrew Williams, the Santee
shooter, reportedly told his friends that he was going to "do Columbine" (none
of them took him seriously). Columbine has also become the model for all other
future school shootings, with some kids aspiring and saying they want to
"outdo Columbine."
Many people believe that the school massacres could have been prevented if
schools had adopted stringent security measures after the
Oklahoma City bombing
in 1995,
because that is often considered an attack on children.
[edit]
Shooters
Victims
As well as the two deceased shooters, there were 13 murdered and 24
injured.
/wiki/Image:Columbine_Breaking_News_Photography.GIFStudents
gather following the Columbine High School massacre, part of the photography
for which the
Denver Rocky Mountain News won
the 2000
Breaking News Photography Pulitzer.
