Victoria Harkless
Staff Reporter
April 20th, 1999 at 12:08PM, in Littleton Colorado two armed students walked into Columbine High School and killed twelve students, one teacher and left twenty three others scared for life. In this article I will not be naming the shooters as we should not be remembering them, we should be remembering the people they hurt. Due to this, they are not included in victim totals.
The two shooters had bigger plans than what happened when they planted several propane bombs in the cafeteria. The bombs were set to go off when the cafeteria would be at a max capacity. The shooters put the bombs in the cafeteria before they started shooting, which is estimated to be between 11:14 and 11:22. However, due faulty wiring on the homemade bombs, they never went off, potentially saving hundreds of lives. According to Jeffco sheriffs, the pair intended to open fire at the fleeing survivors.
Perhaps the most well known victim is the first person killed during the massacre, a seventeen year old girl named Rachel Joy Scott. According to her friends, she was friendly and tried to help everyone as a part of her faith. She had even offered to help one of the gunmen with school work prior to the attack. Rachel was sitting outside with a friend, Richard Castaldo, when the two shooters approached and opened fire. Both of them were injured but both remained alive, one of the shooters who Rachel had known since kindergarten approached them while they laid on the front lawn of the school. He went to Rachel and reportedly asked her “Do you still believe in God?” and she responded with “you know I do.'' He then replied “Then go be with him” and delivered the final shot that ended her life. In her short life her goal was to touch as many people as she could, her family is continuing this with their organization Rachel's Challenge (https://rachelschallenge.org/).
The only teacher victim was forty-seven-year old Dave Sanders. He was in the cafeteria when he heard the gunshots and rushed to warn other students. Now, he is credited with saving over one hundred students. While trying to secure more of the school he came face to face with the shooters and was shot in the back and in the neck when he tried to run in the opposite direction. He did not die immediately and dragged himself to a classroom where students kept him alive for three hours, a student held up a sign saying ‘1 BLEEDING TO DEATH’. When the grandfather, dad and heroic teacher passed his last words were, “tell my family I love them”.
Daniel Rohrough was a regular fifteen year old boy. His mom said she “usually didn’t see him” in the mornings, but that Tuesday morning she caught him and they had a small talk before he left and never returned. He was going to a park that was close to the school to eat his lunch when he was approached by the gunmen, he was shot in the chest, stomach and leg. Those injuries lead to his death on the sidewalk outside of the school. His body stayed there in a pool of blood for twenty-four hours. why?
Kyle Velasquez was the first of ten victims killed in the library. He had disabilities due to a stroke he had when he was baby. Velasquez had only just started staying at the school through lunch around the time of the massacre -had it happened a few weeks earlier he would have been safe at home under the watchful eye of loving parents.
Another student killed in the library was Steven Curnow, one of the youngest victims at only fourteen. He had dreams of becoming a Navy top gun pilot, to make him not just another name on a list. His mom said he was “anxiously awaiting the release of Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace” which released only one month after the tragic day.
One more very distinct thing that happened in the library is one of the shooters slammed his hand on the top of the table where seventeen year old Cassie Bernall was hiding before calmly saying “Peek-a-boo” and ending her new found life. She had gone to a church retreat where she turned away from a life of self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse and “refound herself” according to her parents.
Isaiah Sholes was an eighteen year old football player who was born with a heart defect. Sholes was in the library with his friends Matt Kechtern (16) and Craig Scott (Rachel Scott’s brother) studying when the destruction started. The group attempted to hide under a table but one of the shooters took a special interest in the athlete. They started a racist rant and tried to pull him from his hiding spot. When they failed to pull him from under the table, they shot him and Matt leaving Craig only because they thought he had already died.
Lauren Townsend (18) was an ideal student; she was a captain of the volleyball team, a straight ‘A’ student, and volunteered regularly at an animal shelter. She was also killed in the library, shot more than any other victim though the reason is still unknown.
John Tomlin (17) was studying in the library when this horrible thing happened. He welcomed Nicole Nowlen to his hiding spot but was shot when one of the shooters shot randomly. However, he did potentially save Nicole’s life.
Three months prior to the massacre Kelly Fleming (16) started at Columbine, she was writing poetry like normal while in the library. She tried to hide with a group of girls but due to the number trying to hide behind the table she was partially visible. One of the shooters came from behind and shot her in the back.
Daniel Mauser was just fifteen years old and already concerned with politics. While hiding under a table, he pushed a chair in front of one of the shooters to stop him, he recovered and turned to Daniel commenting “Nice glasses” before he ended Daniel’s life.
The final victim of the Columbine HighSchool massacre is Corey DePooter, a seventeen year old described by his friends as “all-american”. He was also described by his friend Austin who watched his premature death as, “ the kind of guy people like to be around. I know I sure did.”
The Columbine High School Massacre was a tragic event. Oftentimes, the shooters are remembered rather than the people whose lives they stole. With the 21st anniversary of the horrific event happening on April 20th, we need to take this time to remember the victims rather than the perpetrators. Take a minute to remember the victims and to look out for one another.
Image Credit: Erik-Jan Leusink on Unsplash
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