A deadly school shooting which changed everything and left 13 innocent people dead. Two young men came together to enact their sick revenge on the world before killing themselves.
The Perpetrators
Eric Harris (aged 18) had a normal upbringing albeit slightly disrupted given his father was an airforce pilot. This meant the family moved around quite a bit however had since settled in Colorado. It is reported Eric struggled to make friends given the family moved around however this changed when he met Dylan Klebold. Eric also mentioned how he was bullied by ‘jocks’ throughout his school life.
Dylan Klebold (aged 17) was brought up in a middle class house with two hard working parents however prior to the crimes he had a darkness inside which couldn’t be shaken. In a journal taken from his house he outlined his desire to kill himself. The young man could not see any purpose in his life and resented himself. Both had issues however they would really come to the forefront as the two became friends.
Worrying signs
In a journal Harris described on the 10th of April 1998 how he hated the world (just over a year before the massacre was committed). Unfortunately his anger was allowed to simmer below the surface only appearing in diary entries to begin with. In one he stated: “I want to grab some weak little freshman and just tear them apart like a fucking wolf. Strangle them, squish their head, rip off their jaw, break their arms in half, show them who is God.” Clearly Eric had a deep anger towards the world and wanted to take revenge on a world he felt had wronged him. This anger continued to grow as the friendship did. The two would record videos in which their anger was clearly present.
Eric continued to express signs of violence by creating a website in which he had made a kill list including descriptions of how he would kill each of his victims. The website mentioned the use of explosives and although the threat may have seemed empty it was very real. Eric spent his time researching how to make pipe bombs and along with Dylan's help they had actually made some of their own pipe bombs. An old friend of the boys actually saw this website and reported it to police leading to a search warrant however due to case demands this was never carried out.
The worrying signs continued as the boys recorded clips of themselves pretending to shoot each other. By this time they were dressing in all black and wore long black trench coats. However it was about to get even worse as the boys got their hands on 3 actual weapons and began recording videos of them practicing shooting. The video below is quite a sickening precursor to the crimes about to be committed.
In all the videos both boys can be seen smiling and laughing clearly enjoying every moment. Maybe the sense of finally having some power was exhilarating for them. Either way after over a year of plans the boys were ready to commit their crimes.
That fateful day in April.
Prior to the shooting the boys had set up pipe and propane bombs in the cafeteria which were both on timers to go off at 11:17 on the day of the shooting. The reasoning behind this was that they had calculated over 450 people would be in the cafeteria at this time and this would lead to the most destruction. The boys then planned to wait outside and gun down anyone fleeing in the panic. These bombs however did not go off so the boys changed tactics. They approached the school with their long black trench coats blowing in the wind. A student describes the moment he saw the two boys approaching the school.
As they arrived in the cafeteria they began firing off rounds into the terrified students. Many did not realize what was going until it was too late. One survivor talks about how he watched them finish off students. This clearly highlights their lack of regard for human life.
Once students had realized what was happening they began to flee the scene with many calling 911. Below is a clip from one of the calls made by a student and it is terrifying to listen to, clear gunshots can be heard in the background.
Sadly the boys were just beginning as they made their way to the school library where 52 students and 4 teachers were hiding. Inside the library the boys treated it as a game and opened fire on the students and teachers inside. One witness describes how they would say peek a boo before shooting the person dead.
Other reports state the boys were ‘hooting and hollering’ with excitement and egging each other on. The library was where most of the massacre was committed and students only survived by playing dead, as was described by a survivor who played dead whilst his friends were shot around him. A distraught father describes how his son was killed inside the library. The ironic point here is that the boys began mocking the young boy before he died and themselves had become the bullies they claimed to despise. The below is such a heartbreaking clip but the part about the brave young man fighting back is an inspirational story.
At some point during the attack the boys returned to the cafeteria to set off their earlier placed propane bombs however they did not take and only caused minor damage. They then returned to the library from where they took potshots at the massive police presence. Paramedics and firefighters were also fired upon as they attempted to rescue casualties. Just want to pause here to talk about the bravery shown by all emergency services to put their lives on the line in such a way.
Eventually as the building was surrounded the boys realized there was no escape in this situation. At 12.08 it is reported they turned the guns on themselves finally ending their horrifying massacre. All told 13 innocent lives had been taken, countless others wounded and hundreds mentally scarred for life. This is not to mention the family members of the victims who have lost a loved one in this senseless attack.
Why?
What drove two students weeks away from graduation to commit such a crime?
The why has been widely debated. One potential reason discussed afterwards was violent video games. Now this may not have had a positive effect on the two disturbed boys, but I do not feel it was the underlying cause of these crimes. Next up is bullying, as it was reported both boys were bullied throughout school. As for this it is highly likely this was a contributing factor as the effects of bullying can be severe on the mental health of developing minds. It has also been suggested that Eric was a psychopath, and this would certainly explain how he was able to commit the crime with so little remorse. Little is said about Dylan when it comes to psychopathy as he was believed to have been more depressed and almost a follower. It is believed he was led towards this due to his fragile emotional state. How much of this is true, given in all witness accounts Dylan seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as Eric, remains to be seen. In the end both boys were just as guilty and no matter the reason the end result was exactly the same. This tragedy had so many victims and caused so much pain throughout America, it really was a senseless attack by two monsters.
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