Eric Harris and the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre
Background
Eric David Harris was born on April 9, 1981, in Wichita, Kansas. His father served in the United States Air Force, and the family moved repeatedly before settling in Colorado. Harris attended Columbine High School in Jefferson County, near Littleton, Colorado, where he became friends with fellow student Dylan Bennet Klebold.
Harris and Klebold worked together at a Blackjack Pizza restaurant and shared an interest in computers, weapons and violent entertainment. Harris maintained a website on which he posted angry writings, threats and descriptions of vandalism. In 1997, information about some of those threats was reported to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, but no criminal charges resulted from the complaint.
On January 30, 1998, Harris and Klebold broke into a parked van and stole electronic equipment. They were arrested and entered a juvenile diversion program. Harris wrote an apology to the vehicle's owner and presented himself to officials as remorseful. Both teenagers completed the program early, but evidence discovered after the Columbine massacre showed that they had continued planning violence while participating in diversion.
Planning the Attack
Harris and Klebold spent months collecting firearms, ammunition and materials for homemade explosives. They recorded videos and produced writings describing their plans, resentment and desire to carry out an attack that would cause enormous destruction. Harris frequently expressed contempt for other people and imagined himself as superior to those around him. Klebold's private writings contained anger, loneliness and repeated thoughts of suicide.
Their plan was not originally intended to be only a school shooting. They placed large propane bombs inside the Columbine High School cafeteria, intending for the explosions to kill students during lunch and cause part of the building to collapse. Harris and Klebold planned to shoot survivors as they fled. Additional explosive devices were left in their vehicles and at another location as diversions. The main cafeteria bombs failed to detonate, forcing the attackers to abandon the central part of their plan.
The exact motive for the massacre remains disputed. Early reports frequently described Harris and Klebold as bullied social outcasts seeking revenge against athletes or members of particular school groups. Later investigations showed that the attack was not limited to specific students, social groups or personal enemies. Most of the victims were selected randomly. Harris and Klebold were also incorrectly portrayed as members of a school group known as the Trench Coat Mafia, although neither was considered a regular member of that group.
The Columbine High School Massacre
On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Harris, age 18, and Klebold, age 17, arrived separately at Columbine High School. The school was located at 6201 South Pierce Street in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, near Littleton. They placed duffel bags containing propane bombs in the cafeteria and returned to their vehicles to wait for the explosions.
When the cafeteria bombs failed to explode, Harris and Klebold armed themselves and approached the school shortly after 11:19 a.m. Harris carried a Hi-Point 995 carbine and a sawed-off pump-action shotgun. Klebold carried a TEC-DC9 semiautomatic pistol and a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun. Both carried ammunition and homemade explosive devices.
The attack began outside the school's west entrance. Rachel Scott was killed while eating lunch near the building, and her friend Richard Castaldo was seriously wounded. Daniel Rohrbough was killed near the exterior staircase as students attempted to escape. Several other students were wounded in the same area, including Anne Marie Hochhalter, Sean Graves, Lance Kirklin and Michael Johnson.
Harris exchanged gunfire with Jefferson County sheriff's deputy Neil Gardner near the west entrance, but neither man was struck. Harris and Klebold then entered the school, firing through hallways and throwing explosive devices. Teacher and coach William David Sanders directed students away from danger and helped evacuate the cafeteria. He was shot while running through a hallway and was taken into a science classroom, where students and teachers attempted to keep him alive.
...
MEMBER ACCESS
Continue reading the complete case summary
Unlock the full case narrative, source links, videos, victim information, and member discussions.
Unlock Full Case Access — $3.97/monthCancel anytime. Already a member?
Log in
