Collumbine High School Shooting: The Columbine High School Massacre

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The Columbine High School Massacre took place April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. The shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a forty-five minute massacre killing fifteen individuals (including themselves) and injuring twenty-one. Eric Harris (age 18) and Dylan Klebold (age 17) met in while attending Ken Caryl Middle School in 1993. Dylan Klebold, the son of Thomas and Susan Klebold, was born September 11, 1983 in Lakewood Colorado. He was considered to be highly intelligent, and participated in a program for gifted and intelligent students at Governor’s Ranch Elementary School. Eric Harris, son of Wayne and Kathy Harris, was born April 9, 1981 in Wichita, Kansas. His father was part of the Air Force so the family moved quite a bit. In 1993 the Harris family moved to Littleton, Colorado after Mr. Harris retired from the Air Force. The transition to high school was difficult for the boys. They found themselves unable to fit in to any clique and felt tormented by fellow students. Klebold began writing in a journal as early as 1997 documenting thoughts of suicide. Harris did not begin keeping a journal until 1998. The common theme amongst the two is being outcasts and not feeling accepted. It was obvious that Klebold was severely depressed. In his book Columbine, Dave Cullen said that, “Everything about Dylan screamed depressive – an extreme case, self-medicating with alcohol.” He struggled with self confidence, especially when it came to females, and paranoia that alienated him from his peers. In an essay Dylan mother, Susan Klebold, admitted knowing nothing of her sons illness, she said “No one saw that Dylan was depressed. He did not speak of death, give away possessions, or say that the w... ... middle of paper ... ...d and SWAT got ready. Post Columbine procedure now requires police to have active shooter training in order to put shootings to an end. Also, in almost every state school districts are required to have their floorplans on file with local police in case of a shooter incident. In conclusion, this event was an eye opener. This was evidence that school violence could occur anywhere. It also proved that anyone can get a gun. Was this massacre avoidable? Maybe not, but the warning signs were there. If the police had taken the death threat towards Brown more seriously and obtained a warrant to search Harris’s home, or if the school administrators notified the parents of Harris to talk to them about the allegations of bomb making this whole thing may not have happened, or if Klebold’s parents would have recognized the symptoms of depression this would not have happened.

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