CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
 ASIANOW
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 NATURE
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 HEALTH
 STYLE
 IN-DEPTH

 Headline News brief
 daily almanac
 CNN networks
 CNN programs
 on-air transcripts
 news quiz

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 TIME INC. SITES:
 MORE SERVICES:
 video on demand
 video archive
 audio on demand
 news email services
 free email accounts
 desktop headlines
 pointcast
 pagenet

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

 SITE GUIDES:
 help
 contents
 search

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 WEB SERVICES:
US

Bodies remain inside school as police check for bombs

iconINTERACTIVE:
« »



Colombine High School shooting images

Audio, Video and Images

 ALSO

The aftermath

List of victims

Timeline of events

Quotes from witnesses

World horrified by school shooting

Problems not isolated

Littleton is Anytown, USA

Interactive Map: Recent school shootings in the U.S.

Fake `warnings' proliferate online

What can be done?

Special: Are schools safe?

School experts look for warning signs

Ban on cell phones examined

 MESSAGE BOARD:

"Denver school shooting"

RELATED VIDEOS
News conference Wednesday morning with Deputy Steve Davis of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, in which he gives some details of the events (Courtesy KCNC, April 21)
Windows Media 28K 80K

A neighborhood near the school turned into a triage area for the wounded, and students who ran there spoke of their horrible experience. CNN affiliate reporter Hendrik Sybrandy, of KMGH, reports. (April 21)
Real 28K 80K
Windows Media 28K 80K

CNNfn's Tony Guida recounts recent U.S. school shootings (April 21)
Real 28K 80K
Windows Media 28K 80K

CNN's Garrick Utley reflects on the immediacy of events in a society with television and portable phones (April 21)
Real 28K 80K
Windows Media 28K 80K
 

15, including gunmen, dead in Colorado massacre

April 21, 1999
Web posted at: 10:50 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT)


In this story:

Make sure 'scene is swept clean of explosives'

Death toll lowered, but not firm

'We're going to kill every one of you'

RELATED STORIES, SITES icon



LITTLETON, Colorado (CNN) -- Police said Wednesday that 15 people, including two teen-age suspects, were killed in America's worst instance of school violence. The bodies -- including those of the suspects -- were still inside Columbine High School in suburban Denver as police checked for possible bombs. At least one explosive device was found before dawn.

Tuesday's shooting rampage also left more than 20 people wounded, some of them critically.

After finding "about 10 to 11 explosive devices" in the school and its parking lot earlier in their investigation, police on Wednesday morning were methodically checking classrooms, discarded belongings and parked cars at the school.

"(The bomb squad doesn't) believe the building is secure," Jefferson County Administrator Ron Holliday told CNN. "In fact, they found another explosive device (about 5:30 a.m./7:30 a.m. EDT), so that is impeding the investigation considerably."

An earlier search for bombs ended at 2 a.m. One device detonated as the bomb squad was removing it late Tuesday night. No one was hurt.

Make sure 'scene is swept clean of explosives'

"We're trying to make sure the scene is completely swept clean of any potential explosives. That's our first order of business," Holliday said when the bomb search resumed on Wednesday morning.

"We literally have hundreds of book bags scattered all over the school, so those are all potential dangers to our officers," he said.

Death toll lowered, but not firm

Authorities identified Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, both juniors at the school, as the two gunmen wearing black trench coats who laughed and hooted on Tuesday as they opened fire on classmates and then killed themselves.

The two shooters were found dead in the library -- victims of what Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone called a "suicide mission" that involved booby-trapping the school with pipebombs.

Police said there is evidence of several explosions in the school's hallways and in other areas of the building.

After the siege ended, police said that as many as 25 people may have been killed. Early Wednesday, they revised the estimated death toll downward without elaborating.

suspects
Authorities have named Harris, left, and Klebold as the suspected gunmen  

Officials say 12 bodies were found in the library -- nine males and three females.

Police say one adult body was found outside the library.

Three people were being detained in the case but they "have not been charged with anything at this point," Holliday said. "They are being questioned about what they may know about this incident."

Holliday said he could not say if the three were students.

'We're going to kill every one of you'

Many stunned students, parents and residents of Littleton, an affluent Denver suburb, attended a memorial service Tuesday night, and school officials were arranging crisis counseling for teens struggling to cope with the massacre, the most recent of several school shootings nationwide.

Governor Owens
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens says legislation alone will not solve the problem of school violence

498K/22 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
 

While police have not given a motive, several students said Harris and Klebold were members of a group calling itself the "Trenchcoat Mafia," outcasts who bragged about guns and bombs and hated blacks and Hispanics, as well as student athletes.

Police who searched Harris' home said they found bomb-making material. Students said the group was fascinated with World War II and the Nazis and noted that Tuesday was Adolf Hitler's birthday.

The attackers marched into the library of Columbine High School with guns and pipe bombs, demanding that "all jocks stand up. We're going to kill every one of you," said student Aaron Cohn.

A gunman looked under a desk in the library and said "Peek-a-boo," then fired, Cohn said. Anyone who cried or moaned was shot again. One girl begged for her life, but a gunshot ended her cries, the student said.

Will Beck
Columbine High School student Will Beck says he believes the shootings were racially motivated

374K/13 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
 

Cohn said one killer put a pistol to his head but did not shoot him. Instead, he said, the shooter turned his attention to a black student, saying, "I hate niggers." Cohn heard three shots but couldn't see what happened.

"You could hear them laughing and running upstairs," said one student, who broke down in tears as she recounted the killing spree. "They didn't care who it was and it was all at close range."

Correspondents Tony Clark and Charles Zewe contributed to this report.


SPECIAL SECTION:
Are schools safe?


RELATED STORIES:
TV coverage of Yugo war interrupted
April 20, 1999
As many as 25 dead in Colorado school attack
April 20, 1999
Quotes from Columbine High School shootings
April 20, 1999
Fake `warnings' proliferate online after school shootings
April 20, 1999
Timeline of the Littleton school shootings
April 20, 1999
Littleton is Anytown, USA
Clinton unveils national guide on school violence
August 27, 1998

RELATED SITES:
Littleton Adventist Hospital - Important Phone Numbers
Denver Health Medical Center - Home
APA HelpCenter
Violence Policy Center
  • Fact Sheet on Littleton, Colorado School Shooting
Columbine High School
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Jefferson County Public Schools
KUSA
  • Breaking News
Denver Rocky Mountain News: InsideDenver.com
KMGH Denver
  • KMGH Denver: Breaking News
School violence
GUN-FREE SCHOOLS ACT OF 1994
Violence and Discipline Problems in U.S. Public Schools: 1996-97 / 98-030
The Denver Post Online
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

 LATEST HEADLINES:
SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.