The day of the Columbine Massacre is a day that will forever burn a hole in America’s heart. The nation was shocked at the news that on April 20, 1999, high school seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris went on a precisely planned shooting rampage at their school, Columbine High School. This event killed a total of thirteen individuals, including twelve students and one highly heroic teacher, and wounded many. The reportedly troubled boys had often accused others of having bullied them, which raised the question of how apparent the warning signs were of their rampage. Because this incident was one of the first known school shootings throughout the nation, many of its specific details were taken into account to help protect schools all …show more content…
Around roughly 11:14, the boys entered the school carrying two twenty pound propane bombs and headed toward the cafeteria to plant the bombs, set for explosion at 11:17 am . They returned back to their cars after planting the bombs awaiting the explosions to shoot any students trying to escape. On their way back to their car, a classmate by the name of Brooks Brown approached Harris and asked him why he had missed a test in the earlier class. Brown recalls Harris telling him “It doesn’t matter anymore. Brooks, I like you now. Get out of here. Go home.” The boys then reached at their cars and waited for the bombs to explode. After noticing that they had failed to go off, Klebold, who was armed with a 9-mm semi-automatic handgun and a 12-gauge double-barrel sawed-off shotgun, Harris, armed with a 9-mm carbine rifle and a 12-gauge pump sawed-off shotgun, and both with numerous knifes and bombs , chose to walk toward the school, hiding their weapons in their black trench coats. Harris and Klebold fired their first shots outside the West Entrance near the library. Seventeen year old Rachel Scott was killed almost instantly, and Richard Castaldo was injured with shots in the arm, chest, abdomen, and back . The two proceeded to the cafeteria, shooting and wounding Sean Graves, Lance Kirklin, and Daniel Rohrbough. Harris and Klebold then turned around and began to shoot at five students eating in the grass. Four of the students were able to escape, with
Leaving 13 dead and 26 injured, the school Columbine grabbed the attention of Americans from all over. Dave Cullen’s book Columbine tells the true stories of the fatal events that unfolded seamlessly before, during, and after the Columbine massacre. Published April 2009, Columbine is about two honor students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who seemed perfectly normal were plotting to blow up the school and “leave a lasting impression on the world”. When the bombs failed to detonate the boys decided to start open firing on students in the commons area and then moved throughout the school, physiologically scaring many people. In his suspenseful book, Columbine, Dave Cullen uses characterization to show the importance of addressing suspicions
The beginning of the nonfiction, Columbine by Dave Cullen, takes place four days before the Columbine massacre at Columbine High School’s assembly in Littleton, Colorado, just before the weekend of Prom. Ironically, Principal DeAngelis, the one who had hosted the school assembly, provides a lecture of everyone coming back alive and safe after prom. Soon after, on April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold arrived at Columbine High School with two bombs based on portable propane bottles, decoy bombs in their cars and across town, and dozens of small pipe bombs, along with guns and ammunition. Their original and only plan was to shoot anyone and everyone who escapes from the building after the bombs detonated, and they had expected to be shot to death by police; however, their plans partly failed when the bombs planted inside the school did not go off. Although their plan of distraction did not succeed as expected, Harris and Klebold entered the school and began shooting and firing pipe bombs for a little over fifteen minutes. Afterwards, after roaming the school for a short amount of time, they returned to the library where most of their victims had died, set off one final bomb, and committed suicide by shooting themselves. Although their bombing failed, the ensued shooting resulted in a new era of school violence and had left “a lasting impression on the world.” However, by the end of the day, the horrifying incident was falsely blamed on bullying, the popular “Goth”
At 11:42 Harris and Klebold then walked out of the library ending the massacre. Then to end it all the boys then stood there and shot themselves. Dylan was armed with an Intratec TEC-DC9 (9-mm semi-automatic handgun) attached to a strap slung over his shoulder (under coat), Savage 311-D 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun (barrel sawed down to approximately 23 inches, initially half-hidden in Dylan's cargos). Eric was armed with a 10-shot Hi-Point model 995 carbine rifle on a strap (under coat), Savage-Springfield 67H 12-gauge pump shotgun he called 'Arlene' (named after a Doom character - initially in one of the duffels carried to the top of the grassy knoll -- stock and barrel sawed off, reducing the entire gun to 26 inches).
The next morning Kip was set on revenge. He jumped into his Mom’s car hiding a 9mm handgun, a .22 caliber automatic rifle, a .22 caliber handgun, a knife, and 1,127 rounds of ammo underneath his trench coat(PBS). When he got 2 blocks away from Thurston High School he parked his Mom’s car and casually walked in to the back of his high school(TruTV). Immediately Kip fired two shots, killing Ben Walker and the other wounding Ryan Atteberry(PBS). Then Kip entered the cafeteria and fired 48 rounds from his rifle, wounding 24 students and killing Mikael Nicholauson(PBS). Then Kip fired a total of 50 rounds, accumulating 37 more hits, and killing two others(TruTv). Finally, when his rifle ran out of ammunition an already wounded student Jacob Ryker tackled Kip(TruTv). Seeing this happen several other students jumped in. During the struggle Kip drew the 9mm hand gun, and fired one shot before he was disarmed, injuring Ryker again as well as another student(TruTv). Thankfully the students were able to restrain Kip until the police arrived.
April 20, 1999, is a day of remembrance for many people. The Columbine massacre had an effect not only on the Littleton, Colorado community but also on the entire country. In the book Columbine by Dave Cullen, the author tells the story of the tragedy that started with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The book begins with an introduction into both Eric and Dylan's thoughts, actions, and reasoning behind their plan to attack their high school. Throughout the book the author points out how the media gave a different view for the motives of the attack which caused false accusations towards the killers. This book tells the truth told from survivors and evidence, but the honest truth behind the attack went to the grave with Eric and
By this time Klebold and Harris had both taken their life and at least 75 police officers were surrounding Columbine High School. About two hours later, the SWAT team entered the east side of the building finding injured victims waiting for assistance. Teacher David Sanders was shot and had been bleeding for three hours before getting help (Kohn). “Sanders was the last of 15 people to die at Columbine that day. Twenty-three wounded were taken to hospitals. Six had brain or spinal injuries. Several nearly bled to death. Doctors at six hospitals worked on wounded children all through the night, and saved every one of them.” (Kohn).
The first misconception is that the social cliques that occur in high schools across the nation has a role in this tragedy. Columbine is not simply a school shooting but is rather a shooting that the gunmen chose the school as their tool. School shooters tend to act impulsively and attack the targets of their rage mainly the students and faculty. Harris and Klebold planned for a year and dreamed much bigger. The school served as a means to a grander end, to terrorize the entire nation by attacking a symbol of American life. The shooters talk in numerous video tapes about their act being bigger than the Oklahoma city bombings. They boasted about making sure there bloody performance was bigger and more memorable. Klebold is particular was quoted as bragging about inflicting “the most deaths in U.S. history. Columbine was
Thirteen people were killed at Columbine High School in 1999, thirty-three died during the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, and twenty-seven people, twenty of whom were children no older than seven, were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 (Kirk). These name only a few of the larger and most well-known school shooting incidences. In total, 297 people have lost their lives due to school-based shootings since 1980 (Kirk). Although this number may be small in comparison to death by guns overall, these instances are completely unwarranted and it is likely that they could have been avoided or at the very least reduced. These people, college and high school students, teachers, and even children, might still be alive today if our
Two high school students by the names of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold purchased firearms second hand from friends that they knew. These weapons include: a 12-gauge pump action sawed off shotgun, a sawed off double barrel 12-gauge shotgun, a High Point 9mm carbine rifle, and an Intratec 9mm handgun. The shooters rigged explosives to distract law enforcement and firefighters so that the massacre could take place without being stopped immediately. 15 people including the two attackers were killed, and 24 were wounded. The boys were believed to maybe have been bullied, and carried out this act in the name of
One of the most horrific shootings that scared America was the Columbine High School shooting of 1999. Though not the first mass shooting, this shooting was the first major school shooting with the death of 12 students, 1 teacher, and 21 injured. The two shooters were Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. Both of the killers were white, male, and 18. They had both parents, were both a part of an
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold changed the way schools handle threat precautions. The secrets they left us; the boys being outcasts, bullies, and the trench coat mafia, leave us with a horrible tragedy to deal with. Which are just some of the proven myths in the shooting of Columbine.
On April 20th of the year 1999, two high school students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went armed into Columbine High School with guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs. The result was the slaughter of twelve students and one teacher. The gunners also turned the guns
On Tuesday, April 20 1999, Columbine High School located in Columbine Colorado an unfortunate massacre happened and many teens lost their lives. The two students responsible for this incident were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. These two senior students were responsible for killing twelve students and one teacher; they were also responsible for injuring an additional twenty one students on their rampage. A few other students were injured while trying to escape the school. Columbine is considered the fourth deadliest school massacre in history. It was said to be that there was not one target but everyone was a target on Eric and Dylan’s rampage through the high school
Some believe the two were seeking revenge against those students who made going to school at columbine very hard. While many others around the world are just in shock and have no understanding to the horrifying massacre that took place. Michigan state University psychiatrist dr. Frank Ochberg, as well as Supervisory Special Agent Dwayne Fuselier share their conclusions public of what caused this trouble of a school shooting ( Dave Cullen). Klebold was much more easier to understand he carried a very short temper, he acted this way to hide the fact he dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts. Harris on the other hand was much of a challenge, he disguised himself by acting in a well behaved manor. He could hold a conversation so well you would've described him as the nicest person in the world. But Behind that sweet face lied a cold hearted grieving young boy. He felt that others should feel the same pain as him. The two had been planning for over a year to terrorize the entire nation by attacking their
At this time, the shooters ran up the external stairs to the west exit of the school. When they reached the top, they loaded the semi-automatics and Eric opened fire. Dylan rarely fired, but continued to cheer Eric on. He was shooting anyone he could see. Following this, the boys separated and wandered around inside the school and shot whomever