Columbine Massacre
By, Sofia Picornell and Carolyn
Messina
Background
Happened at Columbine High School in
Columbine, in the State of Colorado. The
massacre is reported as "the deadliest high
school shooting in US history."
What Happened
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On April 20th, 1999 in Colorado
Twelve students and a teacher were killed by
students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris
Another 23 students were wounded
It was a complex and highly planned attack
They ended the rampage by killing themselves
What Happened Cont.
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-
The two boys left two gym bags, each containing a 20pound propane bomb, inside the school cafeteria.
When these devices failed to detonate, Harris and
Klebold launched a shooting attack against their
classmates. It remains the deadliest attack ever
perpetrated at an American high school.
Harris was responsible for eight of the thirteen confirmed
deaths while Klebold was responsible for the remaining
five
Casualties
-
13 total killed
12 students shot and killed
Dave Sanders (a gym teacher) died 3 hours after being shot
23 wounded students were taken to the hospital for brain or spinal injuries and
some had nearly bled to death (they all survived)
The paramedic reached Dave Sanders after he had already died because SWAT
couldn’t find him for over 3 hours when the sheriff’s command post finally told
them where he was
Who: Eric David Harris and Dylan Bennet Klebold
-
Both shooters were seniors at the time
The two boys got into trouble with the law for breaking into
a locked van and stealing computers.
In January 1998, they were charged with, breaking and
entering, trespassing, and theft.
They both left good impressions on the juvenile officers,
who offered to get rid of their criminal records if they
agreed to attend a program that include community
service, received psychiatric treatment, and obeyed the
law.
Harris Background
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Harris was required to attend anger management classes where, again,
he made a favorable impression.
On April 30, Harris handed over the first version of a letter of apology he
wrote to the owner of the van, which he completed the next month.
In the letter, Harris expressed regret about his actions; however, in one
of his journal entries dated April 12, he wrote: "Isn’t america supposed
to be the land of the free? how come, If i’m free, I can’t deprive
some f*cking dumbsh*t from his possessions If he leaves them
sitting in the front seat of his f*cking van in plain sight in the
middle of f*cking nowhere on a fri-f*cking-day night? Natural
selection. F*cker should be shot”.
Why
-
-
-
Harris and Klebold were very unpopular students and targets
of bullying
Sources support accounts of bullying directed toward the pair.
Many journal entries made by them focused especially on
what Timothy McVeigh did in Oklahoma City. They mentioned
how they would like to leave a lasting impression on the world
with this kind of violence.
The shooters initially planned and failed to blow up the high
school, and not just shoot students.
The date April 20th, was chosen because it is Hitler's birthday.
Harris praised the Nazis often in his journal, and some of his
friends grew irritated at his frequent Nazi salutes and
quotations in the months leading up to the shooting.
He commented in his journal about how hard it was to wait
until April to express all his hatred for the human race
Flaws
-
-
SWAT didn’t enter the building for 2 hours after the first shots were fired
They entered on the opposite side of the building from where most of the
shooting took place
People felt more people could have been saved if there was more urgency
in the officers
An officer had opened an investigation on Harris a year before the shooting
due to his website and activities but the investigation ended
They began the investigation on Harris due to threats he made to another
student on the website.
They had a search warrant that was never filed
After the shooting the files of the investigation mysteriously disappeared
and were never revealed to the public though always known by the police,
which a Grand Jury found “troubling”
"There was no one in that school that had a gun other than the two
killers, And no one pursued them. No one tried to engage them." Kelly
Fleming’s (victim) mother, DeeDee
New Measures Taken/ Effect
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Following the Columbine shooting, schools across the United States instituted new security
measures such as metal detectors, school uniforms, and security guards.
Some schools added school door numbering to improve public safety response. Several schools
throughout the country resorted to requiring students to wear computer-generated IDs.
At the same time, police departments reassessed their tactics and now train for Columbine-like
situations after criticism over the slow response and progress of the SWAT teams during the
shooting.
- Drills such as the modern day Alice drill were being formed
Anti- bullying policies enforced
Police tactics were changed
Debates over gun control
"Two years ago, our lives changed forever, We will never forget the lives we lost that day. We will
always remember their spirit." -Student body president Maundy Bowen.
Citations
●
“History.com Staff. "Columbine High School Shootings." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 01 June
2016.”
“Columbine High School Shootings Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 01 June 2016.”
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“Columbine High Victims Remembered." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 01 June 2016.”
"What Really Happened At Columbine?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 03 June 2016.
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