Columbine High School Shooting

On April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado, Dylan Klebold, 17 and Eric Harris, 18 who were students at the school committed the worst school massacre in American History. They made the attack to show their emotion about how they felt from the disrespect that they received by their community and school. They injured more than twenty people and killed twelve students and one teacher. They ended up turning their guns to their heads, commiting suicide in the school library. This is an important moment in U.S history because it was the worst high school shooting at the time and began a national debate on gun control and school safety.

Dylan and Eric went to Columbine High School early in the morning like any other normal day but not to learn. They had a different intention which was to end the lives of many students and some faculty by committing a bombing on a massive scale. Dylan and Eric were very different individuals, with different motives and unlike mental conditions. It was easier to comprehend why Dylan did what he did since he was hotheaded, but depressive and suicidal, blamed himself for his problems. While Eric was sweet-faced and well-spoken, adults and even some kids described him as “”nice””, but was cold, and homicidal.

There was different conclusions about why they committed the massacre in their high school. There was two main conclusions made, the first conclusion was that they both were taking revenge against the bullies who had made school miserable for them. The second conclusion that was made was that the massacre was inexplicable, people can never understand what drove them to such horrific violence. Some called them “”The Trench Coat Mafia Outcasts”” they were called this because when the executed the shooting they were wearing trench coats. The FBI and its team of psychiatrists and psychologists came to a different conclusion which was that they made the attack because they wanted to execute a bombing that made an effect on a massive scale. They didn’t want any fame, what they wanted was to be part of an event in history that was well known by the bad deed that they made. Their thoughts were to create a horror so devastating that the entire world would tremble at their power.

They were normal kids like any other but they did have some criminal records before the shooting. The two gunmen, Dylan and Harris had a very dark past before they committed the worst crime in an American high school. On January 1998 Dylan and Harris were arrested after stealing things from a van, after they pleaded guilty, they were sent to a juvenile diversion program.

On March 1998, Randy and Judy Brown, parents of student Brooks Brown, file a report with the sheriff’s office saying that Harris had threatened to kill Brooks and had a wrote on the internet that he would like to kill people. A second event is that on April 20, 1999 around 11:19am, 2 students, Dylan and Eric carrying guns and bombs, opened fire inside Columbine High School 13 and wounding 23 others before killing themselves. After the shooting, in November 12, 1999, Mark Manes is sentenced to six years for selling and providing a gun to the minors that was used in the murders.

Did you like this example?

6548

273