On December 13th, TIME Magazine released an article “detailing” 5-plus hours of home video created in March and April of 1999 by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. CRTF considers the article to be puerile reporting at best, laced with filler, philosophical musings and inaccuracies.
The Sheriff’s Office of Jefferson County claims it never intended for the tapes (or transcripts thereof) to be released to the public. Parents have confirmed that the office had promised them such after the shooting. In fact, no parents were ever allowed to even view the videos. Sheriff John Stone explained, “I got ‘scoundreled’ by a national publication. I made a mistake by trusting a journalist that I thought was trustworthy.” Stone said that there was an agreement between the journalist and himself not to report on it when the tapes were shown.
Nevertheless, TIME reporter Tim Roche was given full access. While no copies of the tapes were made, Roche was able to transcribe all of the tapes. He and TIME refute the Office’s claim that the content of the tapes were to remain sealed. Yet, the original intent of Roche’s “six-week investigation” was to follow up on the slow response times of SWAT teams while the shooting was taking place. It is clear that the original intent of the article was bulldozed by TIME when the sensational tapes were viewed and transcribed.
The tapes themselves, in our opinion, provide an interesting yet unsurprising view into the world of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Unfortunately, TIME, with transcript in hand, decided to give the reader only a tease of information on the tapes. A few events and quotes were revealed, but with five hours of tape it is obvious a great deal of information was withheld with no apparent reason except to save page space.
The tapes make perfectly clear, in the words of the two killers, that their parents and friends were not involved in the planning of the shooting. This is predictable since the shooters likely would not incriminate their friends or family in the first place, especially on a tape they expected to be shown around the world after it was discovered. We also know through private eye-witness reports given to CRTF that a friend of Eric Harris, who spent time at his home, saw a shotgun laying near Wayne Harris as he watched TV. The friend also says that once Wayne Harris entered Eric’s room and a box of shotgun shells were sitting nearby. The TIME article — and 5-hour tapes — imply that the parents were not aware of the weapons whatsoever.
Also in the article, TIME tries to make sense of SWAT-team response peculiarities — specifically, why no one bothered to enter the school and attempt to save the lives of the dozens left inside. The article quotes one student, Evan Todd, “I described it all to them, the guns they were using, the ammo. I told them they could save lives. They told me to calm down and take my frustrations elsewhere.”
“When five hundred officers go to a battle zone and not one comes away with a scratch, then something’s wrong. I expected dead officers, crippled officers, disfigured officers — not just children and teachers,” said Dale Todd, Evan’s father.
TIME attempts to reconcile this dichotomy, and officials try to put things into “perspective”. Yet no argument can be made to soften these questions, or rationalize them away.
“Just before 11 a.m. [the gunmen] hauled two duffel bags containing propane-tank bombs into the cafeteria…” The bombs were apparently set to explode at 11:17 a.m. “But the bombs didn’t go off. After two minutes, they walked toward the school and opened fire…then they headed into the building.” Apparently, the kitchen propane bomb has vanished from the “official story”.
“They were dead by 12:05 p.m…”, says TIME, flatly. This is speculation and completely out of line with eye witness reports. On Eric Harris’s autopsy report a time of death isn’t even noted. TIME says the shooting lasted 46 minutes before Klebold and Harris shot themselves. This, of course, is mere speculation, yet reported as fact by TIME.
TIME made the following indirect remarks concerning other gunmen, “Through most of the 46 minutes that Harris and Klebold were shooting up the school, police say they couldn’t tell where the gunmen were, or how many of them there were. Students and teachers trapped in various parts of the school were flooding 911 dispatchers with calls reporting that the shooters were, simultaneously, inside the cafeteria, the library and the front office.”
Another concern is that TIME decided to place a glaring surveillance camera photo showing both shooters (see above) on the front cover of the magazine. We feel this was out of line and disrespectful, yet it is exactly in line with what Harris and Klebold wanted.
APB News article on controversy over release of tapes.
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On Monday, January 31st, the CRTF webmaster was a guest on the nationally broadcast radio show “Sightings with Jeff Rense.” His appearance lasts an hour and one half. Click here to listen with Real Audio.
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February 14th, at approximately 12:45 a.m. Monday night, two Columbine High School students — Nicholas Kunselman, 15, and Stephanie Hart, 16 — were found dead inside a Subway sandwich store located less than a mile from the school. Both suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Hart, at the time, was believed to have been visiting Kunselman, a Subway employee. The suspect is described as being “a white male in his teens or early 20s who was wearing a red jacket and flared pants.” He was seen near the shopping center about the time the bodies were discovered. Strangely enough, Salon.com reported that Nathan Grill, a friend of Kunselman and present in the store that night, “…was wearing both a red jacket and flared pants Sunday night, but [said] ‘I know I’m innocent. I’m not worried.'” A surveillance camera was present inside the shop, though appears to have been turned off. Click for The Washington Post and The Denver Post stories.
On Tuesday, The Denver Rocky Mountain News reports that cash was left in the register inside the store. The store was noted as an unlikely target for a robbery since large currency is placed in a locked safe throughout the day. “It’s not worth robbing, 50 bucks, maybe,” said employee J.J. Hodack. The shooting appears to have taken place sometime between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. A witness, present in the store at 9:55 p.m., reports that all was normal when the store closed, though a customer was present when he left. An employee, driving by the shop at around 1 a.m., noticed the lights were unusually on inside. The bodies were then found behind the counter inside the shop.
A source in Denver visited the Subway recently and confirmed to us that the shop’s three entrances appear to be fully intact and no damage is visible. There does not appear to be a forced entry. This suggests that a late night customer is responsible for the crime, or a “friend” of Kunselman, Hart, or both, possibly enticed them to open and unlock the door later that night. A robbery seems most unlikely. Another source says just after the shooting the windows were shot out and taped up. Were the windows quickly replaced?
Investigators were seen searching trash bins behind the shop, as well as searching the top of the roof of a building across the street from the Subway (a Denver source told CRTF, “I don’t believe that the shooter or shooters ever entered the store because I saw bullet holes in the windows on the news…we might be dealing with some type of professional shooter here”). No weapon has been found. No motive has been determined, though a “murder-suicide” was quickly ruled-out. Both young students were a two-year couple and, according to a family friend, Kunselman’s father said, “…he’s never seen two young people as in love as they were.”
The Subway store located at 6768 W. Coal Mine Avenue is just two blocks south of Columbine High School. Slain student Rachel Scott once worked at the Subway. The shop is also near Blackjack Pizza, the former employer of Harris and Klebold.
A series of tragedies have preceded Monday’s shooting. Two weeks ago, the body of 11-year-old Antonio Davalos was found stuffed in a trash bin within a mile of Columbine High School. There have been no arrests. Antonio was a fifth-grader at Centennial Elementary School.
Composite drawings based on two eye witness sightings show the current suspect. He was wearing a black baseball cap with the bill turned forward, a black coat with a red lining on the inside, and black or blue jeans with white shoes.
See the links for The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News in the right sidebar for the latest.
In other news, The Denver Post released an article on the 14th detailing the bomb arsenal used by Harris and Klebold. It is now revealed that they used in upward of 95 bombs in their attack. The article quotes an official who claims Klebold and Harris brought the bombs into the school about fifteen minutes before they began shooting. Apparently, no one noticed they were carrying four 20-lb propane bombs and no one noticed them place them in the kitchen and cafeteria. The article does not mention the presence of the kitchen bombs. There appears to be a discontinuity in the official story in that there are conflicting reports on whether or not propane bombs were found in the kitchen. It was first reported that at least one propane bomb was found in the kitchen in a well placed, hidden location.
Also, the recall of Sheriff John Stone has picked up steam and a force of locals are preparing to gather the 41,991 signatures needed to place the recall on the ballot.
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In a smattering of articles in The Denver Post on Sunday, March 12th, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reveals further information on the progress of the “final report” being produced concerning the Columbine High School shooting.
Five articles attempt to dispel “rumors” and explain the delay in the release of the final report. Mention is made of “third-gunman” reports; the Sheriffs Department says witnesses were simply confused, and due to the sound of gunfire and bombs “mistakenly” believed more than two were involved. As for the report’s six month delay, parent Rich Petrone muses, “Maybe they’re trying to hide stuff.”
“‘There were conflicting descriptions of the subjects. Reports of people on the roof. All kinds of unsubstantiated reports’ about as many as four gunmen’,” said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Ron Knight, who dismissed those reports.
One article dispels the so-called “myths” — There was not a proverbial “third-gunman”; Harris and Klebold did not use “walkie-talkies” or communication devices; they did not have keys to the school; they had no help whatsoever in planning the shooting; no one knew beforehand the shooting would occur; bombs were not brought into the school days before the shooting; the shooters were not members of the “Trench coat mafia”; they did not target blacks, Christians and jocks during the shooting; they did not plan on escaping the school.
The above “official line” on these various issues will likely surface throughout the final report. Whether this information is true or not remains to be seen.
Soon, with the release of the final report, we will be able to determine whether or not our law enforcement personnel have carried out their civic duties properly — their conclusions will either bring closure or ignite further controversy . Below are the five individual articles.
No second-guessing SWAT during ‘mayhem’
http://web.archive.org/web/20000823162838/http://www.denverpost.com/news/shot0312e.htm
Facts clarify but can’t justify killers’ acts
http://web.archive.org/web/20000823162838/http://www.denverpost.com/news/shot0312c.htm
Author wants report to be ‘absolutely correct’
http://web.archive.org/web/20000823162838/http://www.denverpost.com/news/shot0312b.htm
Lessons a balm to personnel
http://web.archive.org/web/20000823162838/http://www.denverpost.com/news/shot0312f.htm
Detailed report nears completion
http://web.archive.org/web/20000823162838/http://www.denverpost.com/news/shot0312a.htm
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On Monday, March 27th, 2000, Jefferson County Undersheriff John Dunaway spoke at the Columbine Review Commission, a panel appointed by Gov. Bill Owens. During his speech he made reference to the apparent fact that the “final report” on the Columbine incident will not contain all of the facts of the case. According to The Denver Post, he said one will be an “investigative report” that has been completed but will not be released, and the other a “public report”.
Later, Jeffco denied there will be “two reports”. Spokesman Steve Davis said there was “some confusion” between the actual “investigative files”, to remain sealed, and the final, public report. Nevertheless, they confirmed some information will be withheld.
Parent Rich Petrone complained, “I’m so sick of that sheriff’s department…They’re so incompetent that it’s taken them a year to make a report on an incident where they have the only two killers supposedly there, yet they say it’s an ‘ongoing investigation.’ We’re not very happy about it. To me, it’s just a cover-up.”
Petrone voiced further displeasure, “We don’t even know yet how Danny [Rohrbough] died. The stories they’ve told us don’t even line up. We don’t know what happened with Danny, and nobody else knows what happened to their children.”
Sue Petrone asked, “What do they have to hide? It’s like having two sets of books for the IRS — one to hide what you got, the other whatever you make up. I think it’s cruel. This is my only son. I should know blow by blow, shot by shot, how he died.”
However, anti-gun crusader and parent Tom Mauser noted, “I want it to be withheld, but I don’t want to comment more than that.”
“I want the full version,” said Angela Sanders, daughter of slain teacher, Dave Sanders. “I don’t want any edited crap.”
“I’ve believed all along that they’re hiding things, and that’s why this report has taken so long and has not come out publicly. The sheriff’s department will never return my calls,” said Judy Brown, parent of Brooks Brown.
In an editorial titled, “Edited report a crime”, The Denver Post said, “Several survivors have expressed outrage at the sheriff’s department for offering them only the ‘edited’ report, and we share their disappointment…Very few people will be motivated to pore over 200 volumes of police work. But for those who do have a compelling interest in this case, the investigation should be an open book.”
On March 29th, Jefferson County said that they will now make efforts to answer any questions parents of the slain or injured have about the case.
Brian Rohrbough, whose son, Daniel, was slain outside the school April 20th, responded, “It’s just what I have to assume is one more lie, trying to ease public pressure, once again saying they’re going to do something that they won’t do.” Rohrbough said that he has contacted Jeffco numerous times to arrange a meeting to no avail.
Regarding the delay in the release of the report, Bob Miller, a former U.S. attorney for Colorado, told Dunaway, “I have never seen a report that’s almost a year in the making.” Miller said such a delay would have made a prosecution in the case “impossible.” Dunaway has said that some information is being withheld in case other suspects in the crime are to be pursued in the future. (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4)
On the 30th, Sue Petrone said, “If they can show the guns to Time magazine, they can show me my son’s clothing.” The Denver Post released an article where the parents of Daniel Rohrbough complained that their son’s clothing has yet to be returned to them by Jefferson County. The sheriff’s department rebuts that the case is not closed and if another suspect is to surface they need the clothing as evidence. Others disagree, citing that the department continues to claim only two people participated in the crime and assails any notion there were other gunmen involved.
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On Wednesday, April 26th, at 3:00 p.m., Jefferson County made KCNC News 4 and KUSA News 9 helicopter footage, a Littleton Fire Department “training” video, and some surveillance footage available to the public in VHS video format. Judge Brooke Jackson, on Monday, said the footage could be released to the families without restriction (before, it was to only be viewed by the families at the Jefferson County building). County Attorney Frank Huftless then unexpectedly ordered both tapes released to the public, outraging parents and victims.
“The families are shocked and outraged. It shows a complete lack of sensitivity to the victims’ families. It’s outrageous,” said attorney Jim Rouse.
The “training” footage is about 25 minutes long, and shows graphic footage of the library after the bodies were removed. The entire video contains “background music”, including one fringe anti-gun song. It was so offensive to the Fleming and Rohrbough families they turned the sound off the television they were viewing the video on at Jeffco last week. “The families were so offended that we simply turned down the sound so no one could hear it,” said Rouse.
One of the pirated songs contained on the video is Sarah McLachlan’s, “I Will Remember You”. The singer reacted to the release of the tape, stating, “The thought of adding music, any music, to these images for whatever reason is sick, and the idea of profiting from selling someone else’s tragedy is pitiful and cruel.” Jeffco says it will not edit the music out of the tape, saying such would violate the judge’s order not to edit the tapes. A lawyer for Sony Music said the county may be asked to cease release of the tapes and track down already released copies.
According to Randy Brown, father of Brooks Brown, the tape proves the police response was inadequate. “If you want to know how bad the police response was, go rent ‘Gone With the Wind,’ and watch the entire thing. It took the police longer than that movie to get [teacher Dave Sanders], who was bleeding to death, out of that classroom. That’s too long and unacceptable.”
Why were the apparently incriminating tapes released to the public? It appears the release was spurned by a mere legal snafu and nothing more — the county had no other option but to release the tapes. A Denver lawyer, Scott Robinson, said when the training video was presented at over eighty law enforcement venues over the past year, such action immediately rendered the tapes public property. In our opinion, if Jefferson County had previously been open and forthcoming with the parents and families last year, all of this could have been avoided.
In the interest of examining the footage from an investigative standpoint, CRTF will attempt to obtain the video as soon as possible. Of special interest to us will be the helicopter footage — when the footage begins (it lasts “two to three hours”) and whether or not it has been edited.
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Michael Ian Campbell, 18, was sentenced Friday, the 29th, to four months in federal prison, three years’ supervised release after the prison term, ordered stay off the internet and to get mental-health treatment for sending a thinly-veiled threat to a Columbine student last December. The threat was sent through AOL’s “instant messenger” service over the internet. The threat was but a mere few sentences that implied he would “finish what began” on April 20th. He warned Erin Walton, the student, to stay home from school the next day so he wouldn’t have “her blood on his hands.” Campbell, a resident of Florida, has expressed regret and remorse for the incident, and maintains it was a mere “joke” or prank. His person is hardly indicative of a dangerous threat to society.
Campbell was whisked away by federal marshals after his sentence by U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham at a Denver court. He will immediately begin his term in a Florida prison.
Jackie Walton, Erin’s mother, said, “Erin will never recover to be the same. It may have been a stupid prank, but that prank stole away the innocence of my daughter.” Erin also said she could not forgive Campbell for what he did. Meanwhile, Campbell himself has suffered from anorexia and panic attacks since the ordeal, and has attempted suicide. His mother, Pamela, cried out in the courtroom after the verdict, “You killed him! He’s never going to last. He won’t make it…I’ll never see him again.” The Walton family asked the judge for a prison sentence.
Is this justice? Hardly. Rather, it is another example of the mentality of a cadre of Columbine parents and students governed by emotion, naiveté and fear. The “crime” committed was deserving of a punishment in the vein of community service or a small fine, not federal prison. The Waltons are pursuing a zealous crusade of vindictiveness — of which the “justice” system is more than obliged to procure — toward those who might infringe upon their upper-middle-class fantasy world amid the strolling bike paths, SUVs and Starbucks cafes of Jefferson County.
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Without explanation, Columbine’s top basketball player hanged himself Thursday, May 4th, in his Jefferson County home. Greg Barnes, a 17 year old junior, was considered one of Colorado’s best high school basketball players. Those who knew him report he was one of the nicest, most likable students at the school, and never displayed any suicidal signs.
He was a witness to the April 20th shooting last year. Through a science room window he witnessed teacher Dave Sanders get shot. One of his best friends, Matt Ketcher, was also killed in the library that day. No sign of depression was evident after the shooting. While Barnes had struggled at times, friends report he was willing to talk about it and seemed to have moved on. Basketball was his passion, and just days ago he was talking of the exciting upcoming season. The community, parents and friends were without words in explaining this death.
Please read the following articles from The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News for a full grasp of this bizarre tragedy:
“Hoops star’s death stuns Columbine”
“Much about Barnes was so easy to like”
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Read the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office surprisingly extensive final report here. It was released on May 15th.
Jefferson County District Judge Brooke Jackson also ordered the release of 33 hours of 911 tapes to victim’s families under the Open Records Act. This information may soon become public. However, some of the lengthy 911 audio recorded in the library will be edited to protect names and identities — something family attorney Jim Rouse disagreed with, “We feel we should have full information.” County officials said they were pleased Jackson’s order calls for editing the tapes. Jackson ordered that the names of “other suspects and identification of callers who gave information about other possible suspects who later were cleared” be removed from the tapes as well.
[End Timeline]—
Aftermath — Other stories, comments and notes.
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April 28th, 2000
By CRTF Webmaster
When fifteen families and parents of slain and injured Columbine students filed lawsuits against Jefferson County this week, their motives for doing so lay in a undivided desire for the truth — not for monetary gain, “greed”, or to make a political statement.
During my visit to Denver, I met for two hours with the parent of a slain Columbine student who filed a lawsuit. I saw first-hand a family that has been stonewalled by the sheriff’s office and given few definitive answers on their child’s death. What is more, it was revealed to me that the questions posed by this web site are being addressed and discussed by the parents themselves — questions of other accomplices in the attack, the inadequate response by authorities to save lives, and why the murdered lay lifeless in the school 36 hours after the attack ended. These are not “theories”, but serious questions being posed by serious people.
Another parent, whose son attends Columbine High, told me the “jock” mentality reigns supreme, despite claims by the school’s mouthpieces that “unity” and “understanding” have taken the place of pride and elitism. Crime in the area has skyrocketed as students turn to drugs, alcohol and violent behavior to deal with their experiences. The parent said questions of whether or not other accomplices participated in the attack have always been a topic of discussion among locals. The parent also provided two names of accomplices other than Harris or Klebold who were present at the school on April 20th.
When authorities were responding to the scene they were told “seven or eight” gunmen were present. When students were corralled near the gym area in the early afternoon hours — after being frisked — they were coldly “debriefed” by officials, told not to talk to the press, and that what they “saw inside the school” would be discussed privately with officials at a later date. The homes within the vicinity of the school were evacuated and their residents not allowed to return until later that evening on April 20th. The area was “cordoned-off” or “contained”, if you will, from the public eye.
Despite repeated claims by officials to the contrary, the lack of a “dynamic entry” by SWAT teams was inexcusable. Throughout the day officials knew exactly where Harris and Klebold were located within the school. Assuming only two gunmen were involved (and seen by witnesses), why were Harris and Klebold allowed to kill and maim inside the library without a response from officials? I saw first hand, by walking around the school on two different occasions, how two gunmen, located in the library, would pose only a negligible threat to a SWAT team if it entered the school and engaged them. While officials claim SWAT teams had to meticulously “clear” dozens of rooms and halls in the school, the library itself can be reached easily and quickly through a number of entrances. It took SWAT teams four hours until they “reached” the library.
At around 4 p.m. on April 20th, a SWAT team recovered a highly advanced military bomb with a mercury switch within the school. This was related to me by two individuals who talked with the policeman who recovered the bomb. I now firmly believe this bomb was found and its existence subsequently covered-up by the FBI. Incidentally, the officer who reported this has vanished and his existence denied by the Littleton Police Department even though his name appears in news reports. The bomb’s presence was also reported in the press briefly on April 20th and never discussed again.
According to a local resident, the reports of a “third-gunman” in a white T-shirt originated from the sidewalk on Pierce St. next to the school, not in the “commons” area as originally reported. Despite reports from the press, the school does not have a “smoking area”. No smoking is allowed on campus. When some students, such as Jake Apoeaca, saw the third-gunman, they were standing near the southeast face of the school — at least one hundred and fifty feet from where Harris and Klebold were said to have begun their attack. Some were smoking on the public sidewalk, the only place they could do so. These gunmen were seen in an area the “official story” does not account for. Witnesses also saw at least one shooter wearing a black “beret” with sunglasses — not a black hat.
I now believe that between three and eight shooters participated in this crime. I believe witnesses and families have been pressured by the authorities to change their stories and not to talk to the press. I believe some witnesses on April 20th were pressured that day to relate entirely false stories to the press about what they saw. I believe sincere rescue workers and policemen were commanded by their superiors to “stand down” and allow the massacre to occur. I believe Jefferson County’s “official story” of what happened is a carefully concocted pack of lies.
continued on next page…