Dylan Klebold and the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre
Background
Dylan Bennet Klebold was a 17-year-old senior at Columbine High School when he and fellow student Eric David Harris carried out a planned bombing and mass shooting on April 20, 1999. The attack occurred at Columbine High School in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, near Littleton. Klebold and Harris murdered 12 students and teacher William "Dave" Sanders that day, wounded more than 20 other people, and then died by suicide inside the school library.
Klebold was born on September 11, 1981, in Lakewood, Colorado. He grew up in the Denver metropolitan area and attended Columbine High School with Harris. The two teenagers became close friends, worked together at a Blackjack Pizza restaurant, and participated in school video projects. Their outwardly ordinary activities concealed months of preparations for a large-scale attack against their school.
In January 1998, Klebold and Harris were arrested after breaking into a van and stealing electronic equipment near Deer Creek Canyon. They entered a juvenile diversion program that included counseling, community service, anger-management instruction, and restitution. Both completed the program early and were described as cooperative. Investigators later determined that their violent planning continued after their arrest.
Planning the Attack
The Columbine attack was intended to be more than a shooting. Klebold and Harris constructed numerous homemade explosive devices and placed two large propane bombs in duffel bags inside the school cafeteria. They expected the cafeteria bombs to explode during the busy lunch period, killing people inside and causing part of the library above it to collapse. They planned to shoot students and employees attempting to escape from the building.
The main cafeteria bombs failed to detonate as intended. After waiting outside the school, Klebold and Harris abandoned the original timetable and began shooting at approximately 11:19 a.m. on April 20, 1999. Klebold carried a semiautomatic pistol and a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun. Harris carried a carbine and a sawed-off pump-action shotgun. Both also possessed additional ammunition and explosive devices.
The Attack Outside the School
The shooting began near the school's west entrance and outdoor staircase. Rachel Scott was killed while eating lunch outside with Richard Castaldo, who was seriously wounded. Daniel Rohrbough was killed near the staircase as students attempted to flee. Other students were shot and injured in the same area.
Klebold briefly entered the cafeteria before returning outside. He and Harris fired toward students, school windows, and responding officers. They then entered the building through the west doors. Teacher Dave Sanders encountered the developing emergency and worked to direct students away from danger. Sanders was shot in an upstairs hallway while attempting to warn and protect others.
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