There are events in the history of any country that cannot be forgotten. One such tragedy was the Columbine High School massacre. This event sparked a major controversy over children's video game addictions. In addition, the authorities have tightened the rules for the acquisition of weapons.
The beginning of the tragedy
April 20, 1999 was a sunny morning and did not bode well for trouble. However, in the head of a couple of bosom friends, a terrible plan has already matured to kill more than 5 hundred schoolchildren.
Friends Eric and Dylan have never been distinguished by exemplary behavior and good upbringing; they have repeatedly ended up in the police for petty hooliganism. The last time they spent several days behind bars for stealing a computer. The boys had a very difficult and difficult character, they never paid attention to requests, and did everything in their own way. As eyewitnesses said, teenagers were always looking for a reason for a quarrel and were happy to develop conflict situations. Shortly before the tragedy, Eric Harris was diagnosed with a severe form of depression, due to which he was under the supervision of a psychologist. In addition, he was prescribed medications that could have a negative effect on his behavior. Eric and Dylan were fond of weapons and explosives, and even had their own blog on the Internet, where they talked in detail about different types of weapons and their use.
No one suspected that boys, keen on weapons, would ever risk trying all this in real life. Their plans included blowing up the building of their own school. According to experts, the teenagers began preparing the explosion in advance. They personally collected several improvised explosive devices. The boys planned to plant explosives in the school cafeteria and freely go out into the street. After the explosion was to take place, all the students had to run out into the street. At that moment, the terrorists planned to start shooting them right at the door of the school. The only snag in the plans of Harris and Klebold was the weapon. Since none of them was an adult, by law they could not acquire weapons with their own hands. An acquaintance from Denver came to their aid, who came to the city for a visit and did not know anything about the plans of the teenagers.
As expected, on April 20, Eric and Dylan went to the school cafeteria and discreetly set detonator bombs there. Then they quietly went out into the street. However, after the teenagers activated the detonators, the explosion did not take place. Harris and Klebold decided to play it safe and bided their time in anticipation of the explosion. When it became clear that the plan had failed, they switched to plan "B". The teenagers decided to simply shoot everyone present at the school without any explosion.
Harris approached the school first. At that moment he was stopped by his school friend and asked why he had missed class. Instead of answering the question, Harris told him that he liked him and needed to go home. A couple of minutes later, an eyewitness heard the first shots.
The first victims of the teenagers were a couple who sat on the lawn near the school. The girl died on the spot, and the guy later became disabled. The next killed were three guys who were leaving school and decided that Eric and Dylan were just playing them. After these sacrifices, the tragedy was transferred to the school building.
Harris and Clebord entered the school from the back door and began shooting everyone who was in the corridor at that time. At this point, a school employee called 911 from the school library. The police reacted quickly and sent a squad to the building. When the police officers arrived at the scene, they noticed the shooters through the window. A firefight began. However, no one was hurt.
Further actions took place in the library. According to statistics, the largest number of people were killed here. Cold-blooded teenagers fired at close range. They came close to the victims and killed them point-blank. The teenagers mocked the wounded and asked strange questions about how they would rather die. The terrorists clearly loved what was happening and enjoyed every moment. According to eyewitnesses, the teenagers were clearly not themselves, they constantly joked and laughed.
In addition to firearms, the killers carried carbon dioxide bombs with them, which they decided to test in the library. At least a dozen shots were fired at the victims. In total, they killed 13 people there. One teacher was injured and soon died of blood loss.
After the shootout, the friends decided to go down to the cafeteria, which still contained the failed bombs, and find out what was going on. At that time, video cameras were working in the room, which captured the last minutes of their lives. The teenagers decided to activate the bombs using a Molotov cocktail they produced in a garage. The bombs went off, however, their power turned out to be less than the comrades expected. Friends managed to leave the premises before the explosion.
Death of Harrison and Klebold
Special forces arrived at the scene of the tragedy and began evacuating the victims. Thoroughly thinking over a plan of action, the police tried to find out how many were involved in the terrorist attack. It was initially thought to be an organized terrorist attack involving at least 12 people.
After the teenagers left the cafeteria, they went upstairs, where the last gunfight with the police took place. Then Harrison and Klebold ran out of ammo. At that moment, the shootout ended, and the distraught teenagers went to the next room, where they committed suicide. They fired shots in the mouth and in the temple, after which death came instantly.
As soon as the re-shooting was over, the police decided to storm the building. Special forces and sappers were sent there. The latter defused the bombs that the terrorists managed to plant in the library. This seriously complicated the evacuation of the victims.
Soon the sappers were informed that some of the explosives and improvised bombs were left in the car of the teenagers. All devices were destroyed and no one else was injured. According to law enforcement agencies, the teenagers were embarrassed by the absence of an explosion and they left part of the supplies, suggesting to return for them. If everything went according to plan, there could be many more victims.
The meaning of the tragedy
In total, 15 people died in the tragedy at Columbine School, including the names of the terrorists. In memory of the victims, a memorial complex was erected in the city. The massacre was the third most fatal in the United States. However, it was this case in Colorado that became tragically famous all over the world. The tragedy also resonated with the international community. It was the journalists who drew the attention of every American to what happened in an ordinary provincial school.
Investigation of the tragedy
After the police managed to find out the names of the terrorists, investigators went to their relatives, who feared the destruction of important evidence. However, this did not happen. The investigation lasted until January 2000, when the official version of the incident was presented to the media.
Among the most popular versions of the tragedy was the introduction of adolescents to a religious sect. After the appearance of this version, there were several media scandals.
According to another version, the late Harris found a personal diary, where he describes in detail his impressions of the computer game Doom. According to the press, Americans should completely protect their children from computer games, as they provoke violence.
In addition, the public lashed out at several rock bands favored by teenagers. The musicians of the group "Ramstein" from Germany were especially persecuted. They were known for their provocative stage surroundings. In addition, the lyrics of their songs often touched on the theme of violence, hatred and intolerance. The members of the group denied all charges and condemned the shooters.
Similar charges were brought against Marilyn Manson, to which the artist responded in a very extraordinary way. He prepared a special article, which was published on his behalf. In this publication, he discusses the causes of the tragedy and ways to resolve the current situation in America. In addition, he wrote several songs that mention the tragedy at Columbine High.
The discussion about the sale of firearms became acute. In the wake of the tragedy, several states have introduced laws to prohibit or restrict such trade.
