|
After months of planning, Harris and Klebold carried out their assault on their school on the morning of April 20, 1999, which was also Adolf Hitler's birthday. They had planted a bomb in the school's cafeteria, which was supposed to go off around 11 a.m., which was supposed to force everyone to evacuate the building. Harris and Klebold planned on shooting people as they entered the parking lot.
When the bomb failed, the two entered the school a little after 11 a.m. and began shooting. For less than hour, they terrorized the school, killing 12 students and a teacher and wounding more than 20 others. Returning to the library, where they had killed and wounded several people, Harris shot himself in the head as did Klebold a few moments later.
The nation reeled from the news of the school shootings, and both killers and the authorities response to the siege were thoroughly investigated. With many wondering about how the tragedy could have been avoided and how the police and emergency workers could have handled the situation better. Schools around the country tried to figure what they would do during such an emergency and to identify and care for potentially violent students.
Tragically, Harris and Klebold have served as an example often cited by other young school shooters who followed in their wake, including the 2007 Virginia Tech killer Seung-Hui Cho.
|
All Comments (2) Comments