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Fatalities at Columbine High
April 23, 1999
Web posted at: 2:13 p.m. EDT (1813 GMT)
LITTLETON, Colorado (CNN) -- Fifteen people -- 14 students
and a teacher -- died in Tuesday's gun and bomb assault at
Columbine High School in suburban Denver.
The two seniors who were the gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan
Klebold, began their attack in the parking lot and proceeded
to a ground floor cafeteria, school hallways and a second
floor library; they later killed themselves, police said.
Here is a list of those killed, including information
provided by family and friends:
Cassie Bernall, junior. Two years ago, after becoming a
born-again Christian, she became active in church youth
programs and Bible study groups. "She was amazing," said
classmate Mickie Cain. "I was so happy to be able to reach
out to her and be a friend." She recently had visited Britain, and
her favorite movie was Mel Gibson's "Braveheart." |
| Steven Curnow, 14, dreamed of being a Navy top gun, piloting an
F-16. He watched the "Star Wars" movies so many times he would
recite the dialogue along with the actors. |
| Corey DePooter, 17. Loved to golf, hunt and fish and was a
former wrestler. He recently got a maintenance job at a golf
club to save up for a fishing boat with a friend. Good
student. Had wisdom teeth removed this year and was frustrated
that it forced him to miss school. Hid under library table
with friends as gunmen sprayed bullets at floor level. |
| Kelly Fleming, 16. Aspiring songwriter and author. Wrote
scores of poems and short stories based on her life
experiences. Was learning to play the guitar. Moved from
Phoenix 18 months ago, and was eager to get her driver's
license and a part-time job.
"It was hard to uproot," said her mother, Diedra. "But Kelly
had made several good friends. She was your basic, normal,
beautiful teen-age girl." She was shot in the library.
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Matthew Kechter, 16, junior. Had hoped to start for the
varsity football team in the fall. Lifted weights.
Maintained an "A" grade-point average. Was shot in the
library after he tried to reach friends hiding in adjacent
video room.
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Daniel Mauser, 15, sophomore. Excelled in math and
science, and earned straight A's on his last report card.
Ran cross-country and joined the debate team. Recently
returned from a two-week trip to Paris with his French club.
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Daniel Rohrbough, 15, was shot as he held an exit door open for
other students. He died on the sidewalk, a few steps from safety.
His body lay outside for 24 hours. "It would have been hard to live
with it if I found out that he could've been helped," said his grandmother,
Maxine Rohrbough.
Rohrbough helped his father in his electronics business. He was
interested by computer games, stereos and home theater systems.
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Rachel Scott, 17. Played lead in a student-written school
play, "Smoke in the Room." Active in Celebration Christian
Fellowship church. Liked photography.
After the violence, her red Acura, parked where she left it
in a lot between a park and the school, became a flower- and
card-covered shrine, often surrounded by weeping and praying
classmates.
During the rampage, her younger brother Craig, 16, pretended
to be dead in the library and helped lead others to safety.
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Isaiah Shoels, 18, senior. Only black youth shot. Suffered
health problems as a child and had heart surgery twice.
Wanted to attend an arts college and become a music
executive. Small in stature, but lifted weights and played
football and wrestled. Bench-pressed twice his weight.
"He was the nicest person I knew," remembers classmate Justin
Norman. "He would always go up to you and say, 'What's up?'
even if you didn't know him."
A transfer student from Lakewood High School, he was shot in
the head execution-style in the school library, specifically
because of his race and athletic interests, witnesses said.
His father says he believes that account.
"He was black and he was an athlete," Michael Shoels said.
"That's why my son died. Because of the color of his skin and
the achievements that he wanted to do for himself. ... That's
not a reason to die."
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John Tomlin, 16, sophomore. Enjoyed driving off-road in
the nearby Rocky Mountains in his beat-up Chevy pickup.
Worked after-school in gardening store and belonged to a
church youth group. Last year, went on missionary trip to
Mexico with family and built a house for poor people.
After graduation in two years, Tomlin planned to enlist in
the Army. "He was a great kid, really happy, going to
school, getting good grades," said his father, John Tomlin.
"He knew what he wanted to do. He had everything planned."
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Lauren Townsend, 18, senior. Was captain of girls' varsity
volleyball team, coached by her mother. Other players said
she was "consumed" by the sport. Member of the National Honor
Society. She planned to attend Colorado State University on
an academic scholarship and become a wildlife biologist, like
her oldest brother.
"She was to be a senior class valedictorian at her graduation
next month," her uncle, David Beck, told CNN. "Lauren,
unfortunately, won't have the opportunity to make the impact
on the world that I'm sure she would have."
When shooting began in the library, "we understand that
Lauren was hit nearly immediately," he said. Her family
"takes some comfort in the hope that there was no suffering."
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| William "Dave" Sanders, 47, a computer and business teacher
for 24 years. Coached girls' basketball and softball;
basketball team posted winning record in his first year,
1997-98 after finishing next-to-last the year before.
Married with at least two daughters and five grandchildren.
Shot twice in chest while directing students down hallway to
safety. Survived at least three hours until students were
rescued.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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GUN-FREE SCHOOLS ACT OF 1994
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The Denver Post Online
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