African-American community leaders and residents held a candlelight vigil in memory of Shoels
RELATED VIDEO A national town meeting on Littleton -- sponsored by CNN -- was held Thursday in Illinois. CNN's Jim Moret shows highlights. Windows Media 28K 80K Isaiah Shoels, the last victim of the shooting to be buried, is remembered as a person with a big heart. CNN's Martin Savidge explains. (April 29) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN has obtained an audio tape of Harris and Klebold from a court hearing they attended last year, and CNN's Tony Clark speaks to the judge about the boys (April 27) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K INTERACTIVE Amid grief, moments of reflection Audio and Images Interactive Map: Recent school shootings in the U.S.  ALSO: Poll: One-third of teens fear copycat school shootings  MESSAGE BOARD: Listening After Littleton  CNN IN-DEPTH SPECIAL: Are schools safe?

April 30, 1999
Web posted at: 6:19 p.m. EDT (2219 GMT)

In this story: Looking for answers Donations pour in Interviews with suspects' parents expected RELATED STORIES, SITES

LITTLETON, Colorado (CNN) -- One day after the final funeral for victims of the Columbine High School massacre, the Denver area braced Friday for what could be a highly charged visit by the National Rifle Association.

The NRA scaled back its long-planned Denver convention after the April 20 bullet-and-bomb rampage by Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, that left 15 people, including the two shooters, dead. But the group refused a request by Denver Mayor Wellington Webb to cancel the meeting entirely.

That position has angered many in the Denver area. Students from Columbine and other local schools have planned a protest Saturday at the Denver hotel where NRA members are scheduled to meet. Another student demonstration is planned for Saturday on the steps of the state capitol building, and Webb has scheduled a press conference for Friday to discuss the convention.

Meanwhile, President Bill Clinton said in a television interview that he would summon Hollywood leaders and others to the White House soon to discuss ways to prevent the kind of violence that erupted at Columbine.

Several members of Congress pressed for such a meeting after the rampage, which ended with Harris and Klebold apparently taking their own lives.

Americans have blamed a variety of factors for the attack, including easy access to weapons, a culture of violence promoted by the entertainment industry, and the explosion of the largely unregulated Internet where information on bomb making and hate groups is readily available.

But Clinton, who received strong financial support from Hollywood in each of his presidential campaigns, said it would be wrong to blame the movie industry alone for tragedies like Columbine.

"I think it would be a mistake for the people who don't want to offend the NRA to blame Hollywood, and the people that don't want to offend Hollywood to blame the NRA...," he said in an interview on NBC's "Today" show Friday.

Thursday marked the last burial of a student killed in the Columbine massacre, as more than 4,000 people packed the cavernous Heritage Christian Center for a memorial service for 18-year-old Isaiah Shoels.

As the funeral proceeded, Jefferson County authorities retreated from earlier statements predicting an imminent arrest in connection with the TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol used in the killings.

Jefferson County District Attorney Dave Thomas had said on national television that he expected a man suspected of selling the handgun to Klebold and Harris to be arrested soon. But Mark Paulter, the county's chief deputy district attorney, said Thomas spoke before learning of new information in the case.

Separately, late Thursday, police discounted the story of a hardware store clerk who claimed to have sold Harris and Klebold bomb components.

A Jefferson County Sheriff's spokeswoman said the clerk was arrested on charges of making a false police report.

Meanwhile, donations have been flooding in from all over the world for survivors and the families of the dead.

Checks are coming so fast that some organizations are having trouble keeping up with the mail deliveries while contributions arrive via the Internet from as far away as Australia.

One fund already has received more than $650,000 in donations and pledges, and a media foundation has promised to match 50 cents on the dollar up to the first $1 million.

J.C. Penney Co. donated $100,000, and the rock band the Goo Goo Dolls contributed $10,000. The band, whose current hit "Slide" has been on Billboard's Top 100 for weeks, was one of the first to contribute after learning of the Columbine shootings.

"Where it'll stop we don't know," said Mike Durkin, president of the Mile High United Way, which established The Healing Fund. "We didn't ask for any of that money. We didn't have to solicit folks."

From the fund, checks of $5,000 have been distributed this week to the families of the 13 killed and 23 wounded. The money is for immediate needs, such as funerals and hospital expenses, Durkin said.

No checks have been given to the families of Harris and Klebold, the student gunmen.

The checks are in addition to the $1 million made available by the state and the $1.5 million by the federal government to pay for burials, medical expenses, lost wages and counseling.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Mark Paulter also said Thursday that investigators expect to conduct formal interviews "soon" with the parents of Harris and Klebold. They are working with attorneys representing the parents to set up the interviews, he said.

While investigators have been in contact with the parents previously, they have not conducted extensive interviews, Paulter said. However, he said the parents have been cooperative.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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