A Complete Chronological Report
By the C.R.T.F. Webmaster
Updated July 14th, 2000
At 11:21 a.m. Mountain Time on April 20th, 1999, a total of five calls were first received by the Jefferson County Communications Center of the Sheriffs Office. Loud noises were reported by local residents living near Columbine High School, located within Jefferson County, Colorado. It is at this time, as reported by eye witnesses and the press, that at least two armed people entered the southeast Columbine High School parking lot. They reportedly threw a few devices that exploded in the parking lot, and shot at the school. A student named Brooks Brown was allegedly warned by the assailants to leave the area. Brown said one of the shooters was unloading duffel bags from his car, which likely contained bombs and ammo.
“Students tell [Channel] 9 News two people came into the school wearing long, black trench coats and face masks. They were carrying shotguns, grenades and pipe bombs.”
“I saw the two students take their guns out of black duffel bags, nod to each other, and then the shooting began outside the school next to the library,” said Kim Blair.
“They proceed[ed] inside, to the school cafeteria, shooting as they walk, then upstairs to the library, still shooting”, reported the Associated Press. Other students, such as Rachel Scott, were shot outside the cafeteria by a gunman located on the “upper stairs”. “Two gunmen were on top of the stairs at the entrance of the school,” when they began shooting said The Denver Post.
Some have said the gunmen began their shooting in the southeast school parking lot next to the cafeteria. There it is said they unloaded their duffel bags full of weaponry from a nearby vehicle. However, others say they arose from a hill nearby and began shooting at the cafeteria. “By 11 a.m., [the gunmen]…came over the small hill toward Columbine’s cafeteria. Denny Rowe, a 15-year-old sophomore, was among the first to see them coming. Sitting on a knoll not far from the cafeteria entrance, he watched as one of the two took off his coat to reveal what looked like grenades.”
A mass exodus of at least 1,500 students fled the school as soon as the shooting began, while others hid in classrooms within the school for hours. The assailants stalked the halls early on in the shooting, blasting away innocent people. One student was killed in cold blood on a sidewalk near the back entrance to the cafeteria. In upwards of thirty students were terrorized by the shooters in the large library of the school, with nearly a dozen killed in cold blood. “I heard maybe 50, 60 shots in the library and they chucked four-five pipe bombs in the room,” said student Evan Todd.
Lindsay Elmore, a 17-year-old junior at Columbine, was one of the survivors of the killing zone in the school library. At one point, the gunmen apparently ran out of ammunition. “They started yelling that they needed new clips,” Elmore said. “I think they had their stuff outside or something because they started yelling about it and then they left.”
Conflicting reports suggest the shooting ended at 11:46 a.m., 12:00 noon, 12:05 p.m., 12:15 p.m., 12:30 p.m., slightly after 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. or 3:45 p.m Mountain Standard Time.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office now claims that the gunmen were dead at 12:05 p.m. or 12:08 p.m. “[Police officer] Smoker said shooting from inside the school ended after police fired en masse on the second floor of the library, where the killers had taken shots at rescue workers and police. Police accounts put that shootout sometime before noon.” It is true that a shootout took place, and it is possible the gunmen were killed in this shootout. However, eye witness accounts place gunmen inside the school well after 12 noon.
Two of the shooters, who were seniors at the school, were found dead in the library later that day, and identified as the now infamous Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. “When he looked at me, the guy’s eyes were just dead”, said student Nick Foss of one of the shooters.
Fourteen students, including the shooters themselves, and one teacher, died during the attack. A total of 15 deaths. About 25 students and faculty were seriously injured.
The shooters reportedly used one 10-shot Hi-Point model 995 carbine rifle, one Intratec AB-10 (TEC-9) pistol, and two thirty year-old Savage 12-gauge shotguns. These low-quality weapons, as a whole, would be considered an unsophisticated arsenal. The sheriffs office claims that at one point, Eric Harris’s gun “jammed” as he ran back inside the school after exchanging fire with an officer. Pipe bombs and at least two 20 lb propane bombs were also used by Harris and Klebold. Click here for quotes from students indicating that “hand grenades” were also used.
Were other shooters involved?
Rumors, eye-witness testimony, official statements, and some evidence suggests other gunmen were involved. However, since ballistics reports from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation find no evidence of other shooters, the issue has become a moot point for the sheriff’s office and the news media.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says that 853 “pieces” of ballistic evidence was recovered during the investigation. If 853 actual shots were fired, such might indicate the presence of other gunmen. CRTF has also received reports that 1100 rounds of ammunition were fired, but this remains unconfirmed. Officials currently say Harris and Klebold fired about 200 rounds.
TIME Magazine reported on May 3rd, “…the killers fired off an estimated 900 rounds, using two sawed-off shotguns, a 9-mm semiautomatic carbine and a TEC-DC 9 semiautomatic handgun.” The higher the number of rounds fired, the more likely other gunmen were involved.
CRTF has credible reports that .223 casings (or casings of similar size) were found in the school, along with different weapons, including an MT 64 50 assault rifle. Witnesses reported hearing the fire of fully automatic weapons throughout the day within the school. Some witnesses reported seeing “machine guns” in the hands of the gunmen. Click here to listen to a Real Audio file of police and dispatchers mention “large caliber” shots fired near the school. There were shell casings from a high caliber weapon found on the roof of the school where a “sniper” or gunman was seen early on.
Investigators would argue that the above could be explained away due to SWAT team “cover fire”. It seems odd to us, however, that a SWAT member would be on the roof of the school firing — or inside of the school firing off bursts of fully automatic fire around numerous students who remained inside. In fact, we can find no plausible explanation as to why any SWAT team member would fire any rounds inside the school, especially if the gunmen were dead by 12:05 p.m. Yet, shots were heard throughout the day.
CRTF can report with great confidence that dozens of witnesses saw three or more gunmen. We have gathered these reports from sources in the Denver area, through news articles and from statements from officials. Below are the reports that can be fully verified at this point in time.
“Many mysteries surround the most lethal school shooting in history. Just how many members of the Trenchcoat Mafia might have been involved? Several eyewitnesses told police and NEWSWEEK that they had seen a third gunman.”
Obtained from an ABC News interview (likely from Nightline, April 20th), one of the students stated the following, “Then we looked up, then one of the gunmen turned towards us and started shooting, so we just fell down to the ground and we just sat there for a while and we turned our heads and once we knew they were done shooting we stood back up and saw the kid in the white on the side of the school start throwing some kind of bomb on the top of the school. It was a grenade or some kind of bomb.”
Found in a CNN article published April 20th is confirmation of the above quote, as well as further confirmation that a third accomplice was spotted, “Another male student who said he was about 100 yards away from the shooters said there were three of them, including one fellow student he recognized and another boy dressed in white ‘throwing the bombs on top of the school — some kind of grenade or something.’ That account was supported by another student interviewed on local TV.”
“Beyond the two dead gunmen, students described seeing another youth dressed in a white shirt throwing bombs that looked like soda cans. A youth matching that description later was seen being led away by police,” reported USA Today.
“We were in the crossfire between the Science Hall and the Choir Room,” said student Adam Foss (left photo) on CNN on the day of the shooting. The conversation continued with the journalist:
“And you saw the guns opening fire, and did you get a quick glimpse of at least how many…?”
“I, ah, how many guns?”
“No, how many guys.”
“I think three, three guys, and maybe twelve gauges, I think. I don’t know, maybe smaller guns.”
We can also email you this clip. Foss later confirmed, face to face, with an investigator in Denver that he did in fact see three gunmen. Due to the smoke inside the school, he could not see their faces or recall whether or not any of them looked like Harris or Klebold.
Special thanks to a fellow investigator in Denver for providing the following audio file. The file contains the eye witness testimony of three girls (“Heather, Amber, and Shelly”) who were present in the cafeteria, or “commons” area, as the shooting began. They related their story to Mark Koebrech of Channel 9 News TV on April 20th. When Koebrech asks if anyone saw the shooters, a girl responds, “We saw three guys with guns…*pause*…and then we saw a really tall guy in a black trench coat.” In the audio file the girl seems to indicate that a fourth assailant (the “black trench coat”) was present. The other girls present seemed to agree with the statement and made no objections. The investigator who provided us this file also went to the school and talked personally with the girls. They confirmed that four gunmen were seen, but expressed little interest in pursuing the matter further.
“At first we thought it was fireworks, then we saw them shooting. He saw us and then he started shooting at us. Then a guy in a white T-shirt threw two hand grenades on the roof. …”, said Jake Apoeaca, 16, according to an AP article written by Robert Weller, dateline 4/20/99; 7:39 p.m. EDT.
The AP article continues:
“Three young men in fatigues and black trench coats opened fire at a suburban Denver high school Tuesday…A third young man was led away from the school in handcuffs more than four hours after the attack, and student Chris Wisher said: ‘He’s one of the ones who shot at us.'” (Chris Wisher has repeatedly told investigator John Quinn in phone interviews that he personally saw a third shooter on the scene and that friends of his saw a half-dozen trench-coated assailants with weapons — see “John Quinn” section for more info).
“Police escorted one handcuffed young man away from the school. It was unknown why he was detained,” said CNN. “We had three names, we’ve got two bodies that belong to two of those names up there, and the third name — that person was not in the school,” said Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone of the assailants.
“A young man identified by officials as an associate of two alleged gunmen,” according to APB News, is pictured above in two high-resolution photos recovered by CRTF. The photos were found in the APB News archive on the Columbine shooting. We have received a report that this young man was video taped later in the day on April 20th exiting a white van at the Harris home in the company of Eric Harris’s father, Wayne Harris.
An article from The Denver Rocky Mountain News on June 28th lends a clue as to the identity of the above pictured person. The article focuses on the parents of Nate Dykeman, who was a friend of Klebold and Harris. Dykeman’s step-father, Victor Good, complained of the tragic events of April 20th, and is quoted as saying, “We had already watched on television as police led Chris Morris away in handcuffs.” Chris Morris worked at Blackjack Pizza with Klebold and Harris and was a direct member of the Trench Coat Mafia. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing by officials.
A Denver Post report says assailant Eric Harris removed his trench coat later on in the shooting thus revealing a white T-shirt he was wearing. The newspaper said, “Harris had taken off his trench coat sometime earlier, and was wearing a white T-shirt. Klebold, who wore a vest and ammo belt over his dark T-shirt, had dropped his trench coat onto the library floor.” The white T-shirt does not explain away the numerous reports of a third-gunman, however.
The Rocky Mountain News reported, “Adam Thomas, 16, a freshman, said he was outside the lunchroom area when two people in trench coats started shooting. ‘They dropped their trench coats and pulled out what I thought were AKs. He shot my friend, Michael Johnson, in the leg,’ Thomas said.” AK-47s do not look similar in any way to a Hi Point 9mm or TEC-9.
The Rocky Mountain News also reports in another story, “Sophomore Amanda Stair was in the library when she heard a commotion in the hall. ‘We hid under different tables,’ Stair said. ‘Two guys in black trench coats walked in. They said get up or they would shoot us. I heard a lot of shots and one guy put his gun down on the desk I was under.'”
The above indicates: 1) the two shooters were outside near cafeteria first (as has been reported), removed their trench coats and shot for a while, then put their trench coats back on and went upstairs to the library; 2) that there were two sets of shooters, or a number of shooters, some with trench coats on, the others without.
Kim Sander is a mother of a student who had escaped early in the attack. During the massacre, at 12:10 p.m., Kim was interviewed on KUSA-TV, carried by MSNBC. During that interview Kim described what her daughter had just told her she had seen:
Kim Sander: “She looked up and saw a gunman in a black trench coat with a very huge gun in front of him…. He had dark brown hair, thick, bushy eyebrows and was very ugly. She said he was a white male. …”
News Anchor: “Kim, did your daughter say if the gunman that she saw was a student at the school?”
Kim Sander: “She didn’t recognize him as a student. No. Not as a student.”
Both Harris and Klebold had light brownish-blond hair and did not have “thick, bushy eyebrows”. This report suggests this gunman may have been someone else.
A source reported to us by way of email his observation from viewing the shooting on television, “I remember many students saying they didn’t know who was responsible for the shooting, ‘because the men were wearing masks.'” (Source name on file)
The following is a revealing quote from Newsweek explaining teacher Dave Sanders’ heroics and ultimate demise. It appears Sanders, after seeing a gunman outside the cafeteria, run upstairs only to be confronted by Harris and Klebold. Who was outside shooting?
“More would surely have died had it not been for Dave Sanders, a popular business teacher and basketball coach. He was standing near the cafeteria doors when the first students went down. Sanders went running into the cafeteria shouting loudly: ‘He’s got a gun! Get down!’ The urgency in his voice broke through the lunchtime din, and hundreds of students fell to the floor. There was a hail of gunfire, and Sanders and other teachers shouted at the kids to keep moving.
Instead of seeking safety, the 47-year-old Sanders ran upstairs toward the library and science rooms to warn other students. It proved fatal: he found himself face to face with Harris and Klebold. They shot him in the chest.”
All of above material indicates clearly that other gunmen may have been involved. The sheriffs office subsequently confirmed those reports during the weeks and months after the shooting (see below timeline). However, since July of 1999, the office has dropped the “third gunman theory” and claims unequivocally that only two gunmen were present during the shooting due to CBI ballistics evidence.
Most of the students were unclear as to how many shooters there were or who the shooters were (they usually didn’t say how many there were). Most reported seeing black trench coats, many reported gunmen wearing masks, others reported seeing Klebold and Harris.
According to a CNN report, a “school district official said school Principal Frank DeAngelis ‘actually saw one of the gunmen and was able to push some students into a location to protect those students.’ Jonathan Ladd, another student, said he heard a loud noise like an explosion and then gunshots. He said the shots were coming from the back of the school toward the school office.” (Ed. note: The school’s office is clear on the other side of the school in relation to the cafeteria and library area where the shooters’ rampage was reportedly concentrated — it has been confirmed that the school office received enormous damage and a window was shot out near the front of the school early on the shooting. This clearly indicates there may have been someone shooting near the front of the school).
- Cyrstal Archuleta(EP1-197) “…she did see one person throw a pipe bomb. …..She told me at the time she thought it was Robert Perry.”
- Seth Dubois(EP21-125) “…Seth told Katherine(Carlston) that Robert Perry was seen shooting a girl in the back while leaving the library.”
- Wade Allen Frank(EP1-91) “Mr. Frank told me that he thought origonally one of the individuals(shooting) was someone by the name of Robert…” “He stated that the person was tall, approximately 6’3″ and kind of ackward(sic) and gangly.”
- Bryan Frye(EP25-69) “He stated that the person he had previously believed this shooter to be was Robert Perry. …..In a previous interview, after receiving his yearbook, he had told his father that he believed the shooter to be Robert Perry. He also stated that the gunman had bad acne.”
- Courtney Haulman(EP25-91) “There was three guys. The guy I remember most was the main guy. He’s over 6′ tall and has long curly dark-colored hair. He was wearing a trench coat. His name is Robert Perry.”
- Lacey Hohn(EP1-186) “…can you identify or descibe who was shooting? ….Ms. Hohn said that she does not believe it was Harris or Klebold. Ms. Hohn believes it was an individual named Robert.”
- Bijen Monty(EP1-110) “I asked her if she saw the source of the shooting. She told me she saw who she thought, at the time, was Robert Perry with a gun hanging around his neck. She said she never actually saw him shoot the weapon. “She asked me if I had any information in regards to Robert Perry. I informed her I did not.” (20063): “During interview with (Jennifer)Falbo, she stated a friend, Bijen Monte, told her on the night of April 20, 199, the she (Monte) was in the cafeteria by the pop machines when this event began at CHS–Monte told Falbo that she saw (Redacted) enter the cafeteria with a ‘handful of things.’ He then threw these things which caused loud explosios. Monte said (Redacted) was wearing a white t-shirt and unknown pants.” “Bijen Monte stated she was outside the commons area eating lunch. Heard shooting and then saw (Redacted) with a gun standing over two downed male victims. Monte picked (Redacted) from a photo lineup.”
- Tessa Nelson(EP1-113) “I asked her if she saw the source of the shots. She said she saw a male, who she thought was Robert Perry, wearing boots, dark jeans with dark hair, walking down the stairs outside the cafeteria. She said the male suspect pulled a gun and started shooting.”
- Katelyn Sue Place(EP21-285) Kate said, “It was (Redacted). I’m almost positive of it. I remember looking him dead in the eye. He was in my debate class….. . …Dylan kind of looked like Robert, but Dylan doesn’t have the long face. Robert’s teeth are messed up and he was smiling and I saw his teeth then. Kate said that she has since seen pictures of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, and she said, “It’s not one of them.”(Referring to the person she saw shooting out on the outside commons.) “She remembers him shooting Ann Marie(Hochalter). …. Robert was just randomly shooting. …Robert was still shooting. ….Kate said that Robert shot Ann Marie before he smiled at Kate. ….She looked and saw Jason(Autenrieth) trying to help Ann Marie, dragging her away from Robert, to the side.”
- Lacey Smith(4470) “On the diagram she depicts (Redacted) as walking in through the doors, past where she was sitting, and going in about as far as they north end of the school store. It was at that time she heard the windows breaking and then realized she was hearing shots. “….she did not have any trouble indentifying PERRY when he walked past her. I asked SMITH how sure she was that the person she saw and spoke with was (Redacted). I asked, “90 percent sure? 50 percent sure?” Her response was “100 percent sure.” I then showed SMITH a photo lineup which included a picture of Dylan KLEBOLD, and asked her if the person who walked past her was in the lineup. She stated he was NOT in the lineup. …..As (Redacted) passed her and was near the commons area of the cafeteria, she then explained that (Redacted) pulled a weapon out from under his trench coat and started firing into the cafeteria.
- Brenton Hooker(16397) “….he turned around and observed an individual he thought was ROBERT PERRY(ex-student of Columbine High School) standing outside the door just to the north of the main entrance shooting a pistol in his direction….” ….HOOKER described the individual he thought was PERRY as 6’8″ – 6’11” in height, very skinny, tight black pants, black trench coat…”
- Tyler Chenoweth(1830) “A student named Jen Smull saw through the (science classroom)door during the incident and said that the tall suspect had curly hair and was the student who came to a Halloween party as a warlock. He thought of Robert Perry based on that description.” The following eyewitnesses identified a (Redacted) as being the shooter, with the description fitting Perry’s:
- Tiffany Lien(968 ) “Lien stated she believed gunman number one was (Redacted)…. …Lien stated that she was approximately twenty to twenty-five feet away from gunman number one and looked at him face to face for approximately 25 seconds, frozen in her tracks.” Tall male had long black trench coat, black jeans, dark brown hair. His hair was kind of long and had curls. He was skinny and his shoulders kind of hunched over. …She also stated that the gunman had bad acne.
- Kristen Long(20245) “Long said suspect definitely had dark hair and a large nose, thought it might be (Redacted).”
- Rusty Shyler(5464) “The individual was very tall. …Shyler saw his face partially and thought based upon his dress and size that it may have been (Redacted). He was a hundred percent sure it was (Redacted). He described (Redacted) as being 6’6″ to 6’7″ tall and having lots of zits.”
- Chris Thierren(1207) Saw a tall shooter with acne, large nose, shoulder-length hair. “He stated that the picture he saw was of (Redacted) and he was ‘pretty sure’ he was the shooter he saw that morning at CHS.”
- Erin Walton(4139) “Erin Walton said she knew one of the shooters, and that he not one of (the) two Eric and Dylan. …he was a senior named (Redacted). and he was very tall, had bad acne scars on his cheeks…. ” The following witnesses did not identify the shooter, but the descriptions fits Perry’s:
- Pat Caruso(2683 and EP17-13) “Thought the suspect looked like a trench coat student he has seen before who had bad acne, ….curly long dark brown hair, wearing black trenchcoat…. and a tie-dyed shirt, pink or yellow.”
- Justin Norman(3929) “Upon the hill we saw a tall guy with blond hair, acne, big nose and buck teeth…. the guy had a handgun and he shot one kid in the ankle and another who didn’t move.” (Note: Accoding to Norman in a later interview, this was Klebold, though the description is more indicative of Perry.)
- Joanathan Ballard(1765) “One of the (trenchcoated)kids(who was walking the halls during the shooting-implied to be a shooter) was about 6’5″ or 6’6″,…. I later saw on channel 4 or 9 news, I’m almost positive, that same man or teen, on t.v., acting all worried.” (Note: this can’t be Harris or Klebold, as they died in the shooting.) Others:
- Nathan Anema(2359) “….Anema identified (Redacted) as possibly being the person he saw throw a pipe bomb during the shooting at Columbine High School on 4-20-99. …Anema stated that he initially thought the person that he saw throwing the pipe bomb was (Redacted).”
- Katie Beer(6636) “…. when the incident began at Columbine High School, she initially tried to get out of the school by going toward the main doors on the east side of the school by the administrative offices, however, she said she saw a third shooter next to these offices and that this third shooter shot out windows at that location. …Katy Beer told him this third shooter may have been (Redacted).”
- Jason Brehm(719) One of the shooters had a very round face, shorter than 5’11”. Not Harris or Klebold.
- Leanne Clark(1422) “…Clark told her that she saw who did the shooting in the cafeteria, and that Clark identified (Redacted) as a gunman.”
- John Cook(756) A couple of weeks after the massacre, “Cook said he believed he could ID both of the suspects if he saw photos of them again.” Since everybody had seen the photos of H&K in the media, and knew they had died in the incident, Cook is clearly not talking about Eric or Dylan here.
- Frank DeAngelis, School Principle(8018 ) “I also assisted the principle of Columbine, who was having hard time giving the pictures of possible suspects to the command post and was present when he looked at and identified one of the suspects he was named.(sic) The male suspect was in the custody of, I believe, Jefferson Co. Sheriff’s investigators.”
- David Eagle(1878 ) “The guy with the gun had black hair looked like it was spiked shaved on the sides.(sic) It was also blond on top. 5’9”, about 18 years old. “He has since seen pictures of Harris and Klebold on television. …David said that the person he saw did not look like the people he’s seen on television.”
- Ashley Egelund(22671) “Ashley was in north corridor when she observed (Redacted) and Eric Harris coming around the corner from the library…. She said Chris Morris was armed with a handgun while Harris was armed with a shotgun.(5248 ) ….both started shooting at Ashley…. Ashley did not know (Redacted) at first but she saw his picture in the yearbook and is positive it was (Redacted). “… No photo lineup per Investigator Battan.”
- Amy Evans(22205) “….Amy Evans said there was a third shooter and it was (Redacted).”
- Joel Hatfield(19277) “Joel Hatfield interviewed 4-29-99. Saw one shooter with excellent description of dress, physical, guns and movement. Could ID in lineup if needed.” Once again, this cannot be H or K, as everybody was aware that H&K were in no position to stand in a lineup!
- Mark Hengel(5901) “Hengel identified Klebold and (Redacted) from the photograph in the attached 1A envelope…. Also attached is a 1A envelope is a diagram of Columbine High School indicating the diection of Hengel and the two individuals dressed in black.” Apparently the interviewing officer didn’t like what he was hearing, and so the interviewer ends up telling the eyewitness what he saw: “I then advised Mark Hengel that the skinny person he saw standing and shooting was Dylan Klebold and the person he saw standing over the duffel bag was Eric Harris.”
- AnneMarie Hochalter, gunshot victim outside the cafeteria(18218 ) “Advised that Harris/Klebold did not shoot her. …. Has ID on shooters.”
- Leigh Kamens(1422) While in the ‘green room’ off of the science hall, she identified (Redacted) as one of the gunmen.
- Tim Kastle(3416) “As far as I know the suspects are Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, (Redacted) and I think there might have been two others.”
- Alicia Maes(3614) “Alicia stated that when she first observed the male in the black trench coat, she thought it was a person known to her as (Redacted).”
- Lucas Milne “Saw (Redacted) in commons at 11am in a black trenchcoat and knows (Redacted). States that Dan Goin and Brandon Little and Bijen Monte saw (Redacted) shooting at school. Milne picked out (Redacted) in photo lineup.
- Leiha Murphy(3828 ) In the cafeteria, notices commotion outside north-west door. “I saw a guy I recognized as (Redacted). He was running… Stair had his blond hair down. It’s past his shoulders. He’s about 6′, tall, skinny, he was wearing a long black trench coat…. I saw nothing in his hands. He was observed a short distance from whatever was going on at the door. My thought was that (Redacted) was involved if there was a fight.” Stair named in the cafeteria map(see page 3830). Leiha also immediately picked him out of a photo lineup. “I ask Leiha if she was certain that this individual was (Redacted). Leiha said “Oh yeah, I’m certain…. I saw his face full on. I remember seeing his face completely….(she said he stood in place for about 15 seconds)….I remember him graduating last year.” She remembers him wearing ‘makeup on his face and hand’ and that because of that, he stood out from other students.” (3836) Also, at least four ear- witnesses heard the suspects refer to one of their number as “Joe”.(Encinas, 2943, Herivel, 1927, McKenna, 3525, and Salazar, EP21-224)
- Mark Opfer(1064) “At the time, Opfer believed the taller person in the black tenchcoat who with(sic) the shooter was (Redacted)…..” (25625) “CHS student Mark Opfer was interviewed on 4-27-99… In that interview Opfer stated that he believed (Redacted, wearing a trench coat) was standing next to a gunman and was involved in the shooting.”
- Josh Ortwein(1939) “…Josh Ortwein witnessed the shooting and he was telling everyone he saw (Redacted) shooting a gun.”
- Bree Pasquale(18018 ) Library eyewitness, was made to beg for her life. Says the gunman lived down the street from her and played the character “Morgan” in a school play. She knew him, and he knew her. Definitely not H or K! “…she believed the individual with the ‘pipe bomb'(outside) was a former student of Columbine High School.”(526)
- Jessica Rusch(2143) “…she identified one of the gunmen at the Columbine High School as being an individual known as (Redacted).”
- Cara Sander(EP25-203) Describes gunman as pudgy, overweight, very full face, thick bushy eyebrows. IDs him as (Redacted), who is heavy-set with a round face, short dark hair and dark eyebrows. A copy of the CHS yearbook page with Brian Sargent’s photo is included in her interview. [John Ungerland(1701) says Brian Sargent has a round chubby face and is a big guy with bushy eyebrows. He saw him that morning at school; Sargent was wearing a short sleeve white button-up shirt-a polo type.]
- Mindy Pollock(10009) Sees one gunman outside west entrance, holding a gun on the fence. …Dressed in a “white dress-type shirt”, short brown hair, with a “little bit of a gut”. “POLLOCK stated she recognized the lower, #1 gunman as (Redacted).”(1095)
- Trent Karnes(912) Says one suspect… had on a white dress shirt or a white sleeve shirt, he was holding a rifle on fence, shooting at people outside of cafeteria. [Note: Officially, both H&K were wearing T-shirts during the assault.]
- Jen Smull(2182) In science hall, sees Klebold and an older suspect, 25-30, blond with short, spiky, buzz-cut hair.
- Valeen Schnurr, gunshot victim in library(18969) “Per Valeen’s mother, Shari Schnurr, Valeen possibly identified her shooter as (Redacted).” (8798 ) “Valeen indicated she keeps seeing the face of (Redacted)”
- Jennifer Tindall(1226) “….insisted that neither suspect she saw was Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold. …Tindall picked out (Redacted) photograph as possibly being the male in the black trench coat.”
- Adam Thompson(21039) “….he had seen a gunman shooting inside the school. Does not think it is the same as gunmen in the media.”
- John Vandemark(2216) In the science hall, sees older shooter with dark hair, spiky with blond tips.
- Erin Walton(2243) In th science hall, sees suspect with short blond hair-“like he was going bald”-older, in his 30s.
- Emily Wyant(641) A week after 4-20, says to the interviewing officer “…she would recognize them again if she saw them again.”
- Chris Wisher(9832) “….he recognized one of the shooters–the other shooter was the kid wearing black that was arrested and placed in cuffs and put inside a black police car. He said that he is 100% positive that he was the male that shot at him.” (EP6-265) “Thought he recognized Chris Morris as being one of the shooters…. …on the west side of the cafeteria.”
- Aaron Welsh(610) Can ID both suspects(on 4-22).
- Terry Lawson(10020) ID other than H&K.
- Monica Schuster(19470) “Schuster saw gunman but did not believe it was Harris and Klebold.”
- Lisa Forgen(3005) She sees 2 shooters, and tells IOs that she could identify them if she had photos. Interview given days after 4-20; the implication is that they were not H&K. (2+2=4)
- Arthur Curtis(19444) Saw two shooters, can ID them. (interview given on 4-28-99, the implication once again is that they were not H or K)
- Kacey Ruegsegger(128 ) “Ruegsegger did not recognize the pictures of Harris and Klebold she has seen in the media as the gunmen in the library.”
- Sean Graves(ACSO 633) “…saw guy with coat and gun standing by (Redacted)–saw his face and he wasn’t one of the suspects.”
- (DRMN 5-14-99) “…people have reported that they saw others carry stuff into the building.”
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