Eric Harris

Case record: Eric Harris

Status and outcome

Eric Harris committed suicide by gunshot to the roof of the mouth on April 20, 1999, the same day as the Columbine High School shootings.

Background

Eric Davis Harris (1981–1999) was one of the two American high school seniors who committed the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999, together with Dylan Bennet Klebold (1981–1999). The pair killed 13 people and injured 24 others, with three of the injured having been hurt as they escaped the attack. The two then committed suicide in the library, where they had killed 10 of their victims.

Eric Harris was born in Wichita, Kansas. His family relocated often because his father, Wayne Harris, was a U.S. Air Force transport pilot. His mother, Katherine Ann Poole, was a homemaker. The family moved from Plattsburgh, New York, to Littleton, Colorado, in July 1993, when Wayne Harris retired from military service. The Harris family lived in rented accommodations for the first three years they lived in the Littleton area. During this time, Eric met Dylan Klebold. In 1996, the Harris family purchased a house south of Columbine High School. Eric’s older brother, Kevin, attended college at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The narrative also included additional details: Eric Harris was born on April 9, 1981 in Wichita, Kansas, and the family settled in Littleton in 1996. It stated that Wayne and Kathy Harris had both been born in Colorado, that Wayne’s career required the family to move often, and that they lived in Ohio, Michigan and New York. It also stated that Wayne Harris worked at the Flight Safety Services Corporation in Englewood and that Kathy Harris worked at a catering company in the same area. During his childhood, Eric Harris played Little League and was a Boy Scout.

The offence

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado before committing suicide. The tragedy was described as having sparked national debates about school safety.

Deaths and injuries attributed to the pair

The record described a total of 13 confirmed deaths and 25 wounded. It also described that Harris was responsible for eight of the 13 confirmed deaths, including that of a teacher, while Klebold was responsible for the remaining five. Another portion of the record described 25 wounded, with the majority in critical condition.

Killing at Columbine High School: day-of events

Day of the massacre (arrival, bombs, and initial shootings)

On April 20, 1999, while smoking a cigarette at the start of lunch break, Brooks Brown saw Harris arrive at school. Brown had severed his friendship with Harris a year earlier because Harris had thrown a chunk of ice at his car windshield; Brown patched things up with Harris just prior to the shooting. Brown scolded Harris for skipping the morning class and stated that Harris was always serious about schoolwork and being on time. Harris reportedly said, “It doesn’t matter anymore” and also said, “Brooks, I like you now. Get out of here. Go home.” Brown quickly left the school grounds.

At 11:19 a.m., Brown heard the first gunshots after he had walked some distance away and informed police via a neighbor’s cell phone.

By that time, Dylan Klebold had already arrived at the school in a separate car and both boys had left two gym bags inside the school cafeteria, each containing a 20-pound propane bomb. When these devices failed to detonate, Harris and Klebold armed themselves with guns and launched a shooting attack against their classmates.

A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy, Neil Gardner, was assigned to the high school as a full-time uniformed and armed school resource officer.

The record described that the security staff at Columbine did not observe the bombs being placed in the cafeteria because a custodian was replacing the school security video tape as it happened. The bags holding the bombs were first visible on the fresh security tape but were not identified as suspicious items.

First gunfire near the West Entrance (Rachel Scott and Richard Castaldo)

At 11:19 a.m., a witness heard Eric Harris yell “Go! Go!” The two gunmen pulled their guns from beneath their trenchcoats and began shooting at two 17-year-old students who had been sitting in the grass next to the West Entrance of the school. Rachel Scott was hit four times and killed instantly. Richard Castaldo was shot eight times in the chest, arm and abdomen and paralyzed below the chest. The record stated that it was unknown who fired first or which gunman shot and killed Scott.

After the first two shootings, Harris removed his trench coat and aimed his 9 mm carbine down the West Staircase toward three youths: 15-year-olds Daniel Rohrbough and Sean Graves and 16-year-old Lance Kirklin. All three youths were shot and wounded.

Shooting activity toward the cafeteria entrance and North Hallway movements

The record described Harris and Klebold moving after these shootings, including Harris shooting down the steps at several students sitting near the cafeteria’s entrance, severely wounding and partially paralyzing 17-year-old Anne-Marie Hochhalter as she tried to flee.

The record described that Patti Nielson, a teacher, walked toward the West Entrance with a 16-year-old student, Brian Anderson, and that Nielson intended to walk outside to tell the two students to “Knock it off,” thinking Harris and Klebold were either filming a video or pulling a student prank. As Anderson opened the first set of double doors, Harris and Klebold shot out the windows, injuring Anderson with flying glass and hitting Nielson in the shoulder with shrapnel. Nielson ran back down the hall into the library, dialed 9-1-1, and hid under the library’s administrative counter.

Police response and engagements

At 11:22 a.m., the custodian called Deputy Neil Gardner on the school radio, requesting assistance in the Senior parking lot. The record described that Gardner turned on his lights and siren, heard another call at 11:24 that said, “Neil, there’s a shooter in the school,” and immediately fired his rifle at Gardner when the two met at the West Entrance. It described that Gardner returned fire with his service pistol, that Gardner was not wearing his prescription eyeglasses and was unable to hit the shooters, and that a gunfight lasted about five minutes with Harris firing ten shots and Gardner firing four before Harris ducked back into the building. The record stated that no one was hit during that exchange.

The record also described additional incidents involving Deputy Paul Smoker, Deputy Paul Smoker driving a motorcycle toward the West Entrance after hearing the “female down” call, and another gunfight between Harris at the West Entrance and Gardner still in the parking lot at 11:26.

Encounter with William David Sanders

The record described that William David Sanders, a computer and business teacher and a varsity coach, evacuated the cafeteria and attempted to move students to safety. As Sanders and a student walked down the Library Hallway, Harris and Klebold approached from a corner of the North Hallway. Harris and Klebold shot at them; the record stated that Harris and Klebold hit Sanders twice in the chest but missed the student. It described that Sanders died that afternoon at approximately 3:00 p.m., and that he was the only teacher killed in the school shooting.

Library massacre

Entry, commands, and initial firing in the library

The record stated that at 11:29 a.m. to 11:36 a.m. Harris and Klebold entered the library.

It described that Patti Nielson talked on the phone with emergency services and urged students to take cover beneath desks; her call was received by a 9-1-1 operator at 11:25:05 a.m., and the time between the call being answered and the shooters entering the library was four minutes and ten seconds.

Before entering, Harris and Klebold threw two bombs into the cafeteria, both of which exploded. They then threw another bomb into the Library Hallway; it exploded and damaged several lockers.

At 11:29 a.m., the record stated that Harris yelled, “Get up!,” and that Klebold yelled, “Everybody get up!” It also described that staff and students later said they heard the gunmen say: “Everyone with white hats, stand up! This is for all the shit that you’ve given us for the past four years!” and: “All jocks stand up! We’ll get the guys in white hats!” After no one stood up, the record stated that Harris said, “Fine, I’ll start shooting anyway!”

The record described Harris firing his shotgun twice at a desk and then firing toward students under tables and computer desks in the library, with repeated incidents of individuals being wounded or killed.

Individual incidents described in the library (including quotations)

The record included multiple specific incidents in the library. It described the killing of Kyle Velasquez by Klebold and described Harris and Klebold putting down ammunition-filled duffel bags, reloading, and firing out the windows at evacuating students and police.

The record described an instance where Harris told students about police and then fired at tables, injuring and killing multiple students. It included the following quotations:

• Harris said, “Let’s go kill some cops.”
• Harris told injured students to “quit your bitching”.
• Harris said, “Peek-a-boo” to Cassie Bernall before shooting her once in the head, killing her instantly.
• Harris asked Bree Pasquale if she wanted to die; Pasquale responded with a plea for her life.
• Klebold told Isaiah Shoels, via a call from Klebold to Harris, the record quoted Klebold as saying: “Reb! There’s a nigger over here.”
• Harris asked John Savage to identify himself, and Klebold answered “Oh, just killing people.”
• As Patrick Ireland regained and lost consciousness, the record later described his movement toward a window at 2:38 p.m.

Additional quotations included:

• Klebold quoted as saying, “Maybe we should start knifing people, that might be more fun.”
• Todd’s quoted exchange included: “I don’t want trouble.”
• Klebold said, “You [Todd] used to call me a fag. Who’s a fag now?!”

The record also included a reported exchange involving Valeen Schnurr:

• Klebold asked Valeen Schnurr if she believed in God.
• The record stated Schnurr first replied “no” and then “yes”.
• The record stated Todd also reported that at this point Klebold had said, “God is gay.”

End of hostage situation and exit from the library

The record described that Harris and Klebold walked out of the library at 11:36 a.m., ending the hostage situation there. It described that survivors evacuated through the north door and that Patti Nielson, Brian Anderson and library staff remained in a break room after Harris and Klebold entered that area and fired shots earlier.

The record stated that for the next 32 minutes Harris and Klebold wandered the building, firing guns and setting off bombs, but causing no further injury. It described that the suicide took place at 12:08 p.m., but that this fact was not discovered for more than three hours.

Suicide of the perpetrators

At 12:08 p.m., Harris and Klebold committed suicide. The record stated that Harris fired his shotgun through the roof of his mouth and that Klebold shot himself in the left temple with his TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun. It also described Patrick Ireland’s later movement at 2:38 p.m., including that he fell into the arms of two SWAT team members standing on the roof of an emergency vehicle.

Investigation and legal encounters (pre-shooting)

Initial legal encounters and diversionary program

The record stated that in January 1998 Harris and Klebold were charged with mischief, breaking and entering, trespassing, and theft after breaking into a locked van and stealing computers. It also stated that they were offered expungement if they agreed to a diversionary program that included community service, psychiatric treatment, and obeying the law.

Harris was required to attend anger management classes and made a favorable impression. Harris also began attending therapy classes with a psychologist. The record stated that their probation officer discharged them from the program a few months earlier than the due date and that they were so well-behaved that the probation officer discharged them early.

The record included quoted remarks about Harris and Klebold from the juvenile officers:

• Harris was described as “a very bright individual who is likely to succeed in life”.
• Klebold was said to be intelligent but “needs to understand that hard work is part of fulfilling a dream.”

In May 1998, Harris typed a letter of apology to the owner of the van stating, in a quoted fragment, that he was sorry he did it. The record also included Harris’s journal statement from that time: “Why shouldn't we, the gods, have the right to break into a van that some motherfucker left in the middle of nowhere?!”

School project video and creative writing violence themes

The record described that Harris and Klebold made a video for a school project in which they pretended to shoot fake guns and “snuffed” students in the hallway of their school as “Hitmen for Hire.” It described the video as having swearing scenes and violent content.

It also described creative writing projects with violent themes and included a quote attributed to Harris’s teacher about Doom-based writing on January 17, 1999: “Yours is a unique approach and your writing works in a gruesome way—good details and mood setting.”

Website, threats, and an affidavit not filed

The record included that in March 1998, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigator Michael Guerra looked at Harris’s website after the parents of Brooks Brown discovered threats made toward their son after a falling out. Guerra wrote a draft affidavit for a search warrant, but the affidavit was never filed. The record stated that the information was not revealed to the public until September 2001 by 60 Minutes, though it was known by police the entire time.

The record further described that Harris had made a private website on America Online and used a blog and other content. It stated that the website contained numerous death threats directed against Brooks Brown and included violent threats directed against students and teachers at Columbine High School. It described that Harris had noted on his site that he had made pipe bombs, posted a gun count, and compiled a hit list of individuals.

After a press conference delay, it described a grand jury investigation into a cover-up involving missing documents and reconstructed Guerra documents, with missing original documents and later investigative releases.

Acquiring arms and weapons described for the attack

Because Harris and Klebold were underage at the time of the shootings, the record stated that Robyn Anderson, an 18-year-old Columbine student and old friend of Klebold’s, made a straw purchase of two shotguns and Hi-Point carbine for the pair. It stated that no charges were filed against Anderson in exchange for her cooperation with the investigation.

After illegally acquiring the weapons, Klebold sawed off a Savage 311-D 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun, shortening the overall length to approximately 23 inches (0.58 m), described as a felony under the National Firearms Act. Harris’s Savage-Springfield 12-gauge pump shotgun was sawed off to around 26 inches (0.66 m).

The record described the TEC-DC9 semi-automatic handgun possessed by the shooters, and its sales history through Navegar Incorporated, Zander’s Sporting Goods in Baldwin, Illinois in 1994, and later to Thornton, Colorado firearms dealer Larry Russell. It stated that Russell failed to keep records of the sale and determined the purchaser was twenty-one years of age or older, and that Russell was unable to identify photographs of Klebold, Anderson, or Harris shown to him by police after the shooting.

The record stated that two men, Mark Manes and Philip Duran, were convicted of supplying weapons to the two.

The record described that the bombs used by Harris and Klebold varied and were crudely made from carbon dioxide canisters, galvanized pipe, and metal propane bottles, primed with matches placed at one end. It stated that both had striker tips on their sleeves and that when they rubbed against the bomb, the match head would light the fuse.

It described purchases of propane tanks and other supplies from a hardware store before the shootings and that Harris purchased more propane tanks on the morning of the attack. It also described more complex bombs with timers and that the largest bombs were found in the school cafeteria. It stated that only one of these bombs went off, only partially detonating. It added an estimate that if any bombs placed in the cafeteria had detonated properly, the blast could have caused extensive structural damage and would have resulted in hundreds of casualties.

Legal encounters related to supplying weapons (accomplices)

The record stated that Manes and Duran were convicted for supplying guns to Harris and Klebold. It also described that they were sentenced to a total of six years and four-and-a-half years in prison, respectively. It further described that they had been each charged with supplying a handgun to a minor and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

Injuries and deaths attributed to the attack (as listed in the record)

The record provided an enumerated list of individuals killed or injured during the attack, including ages and specified injury sites. It included the following death designations among those listed:

• Rachel Scott, age 17 (killed alongside the West Entrance).
• Daniel Rohrbough, age 15 (killed near the base of the West Staircase).
• Lance Kirklin, age 16 (critically injured on the West Staircase).
• Mark Taylor, age 16 (shot in the chest and died from blood loss later in the narrative; the enumerated list included injury but other sections described deaths).
• William David Sanders, age 47 (died that afternoon at approximately 3:00 p.m.).
• Kyle Velasquez, age 16 (killed in the library).
• Patrick Ireland, age 17 (shot and survived initially in the library section; later described as losing and regaining consciousness).
• Steven Curnow, age 14 (killed by a shot to the neck).
• Cassie Bernall, age 17 (killed by a shotgun wound to the head).
• Isaiah Shoels, age 18 (killed by a shot to the chest).
• Matthew Kechter, age 16 (killed by a shot to the chest).
• Lauren Townsend, age 18 (killed by multiple gunshot wounds).
• John Tomlin, age 16 (killed by multiple shots to the head and neck).
• Kelly Fleming, age 16 (killed by a shotgun wound to the back).
• Daniel Mauser, age 15 (killed by a single shot to the face).
• Corey DePooter, age 17 (killed by shots to the chest and neck).
• Eric Harris, age 18 (committed suicide by a single shot to the mouth).
• Dylan Klebold, age 17 (committed suicide by a single shot to the head).

The record also listed wounded individuals and injuries for others, including Patti Nielson, Stephanie Munson, Brian Anderson, and several other students in the earlier portions and in the library section.

Aftermath and aftermath-related events in the record

Emergency response and declared counts

The record described that SWAT teams were stationed outside the school by noon and that ambulances began taking wounded people to local hospitals. It also described a call for additional ammunition at 12:20 p.m. It stated that authorities reported pipe bombs by 1:00 p.m. and that two SWAT teams entered at 1:09 p.m.

The record described that officials found bodies in the library by 3:30 p.m. and that at 4:30 p.m. the school was declared safe. It further described that more explosives were found later, including a bomb in Klebold’s car, and that at 10:45 p.m. the bomb in the car detonated when an officer tried to defuse it, damaging the car but causing no injuries.

The record described multiple times where officials estimated the death toll and wounded counts.

Identification and investigation actions after April 20

The record stated that on April 21, bomb squads combed the high school, and that by 10:00 a.m. the bomb squad declared the building safe for officials to enter. It stated that at 11:30 a.m. a spokesman of the sheriff declared the investigation underway.

It stated that a press conference was held at 2:30 p.m. by Jefferson County District Attorney David Thomas and Sheriff John Stone, at which they said that they suspected others had helped plan the shooting. It also stated that formal identification had not yet taken place, but families had been notified.

It described that throughout the late afternoon and early evening bodies were removed to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office for identification and autopsies, with names of many of the dead known by 5:00 p.m. It stated that an official statement was released with 15 confirmed deaths and 27 injuries related to the massacre.

Late investigation and missing affidavit materials

The record described additional investigation outcomes and missing documents: it said that on April 30, high-ranking officials met to decide whether to reveal that Michael Guerra had drafted an affidavit for a search warrant of Harris’s residence a year before the shootings. It stated they decided not to disclose it publicly at a press conference on April 30.

It also described that Guerra’s original draft and investigative file documents were lost, the loss was termed “troubling” by a grand jury convened after the file’s existence was reported in April 2001, and that documents were later reconstructed and released but original documents remained missing.

Lawsuits and settlements mentioned

The record described settlements in April 2001, stating that families of more than 30 victims were given shares in a $2,538,000 settlement by the families of the perpetrators, Mark Manes and Phillip Duran. It stated that the Harrises and the Klebolds contributed $1,568,000 from their own homeowners’ policies, the Manes contributed $720,000, and the Durans contributed $250,000. It also stated the families were ordered to guarantee additional amounts against future claims.

It described that one family had filed a $250-million lawsuit against the Harrises and Klebolds in 1999 and did not accept the 2001 settlement terms, and that a judge ordered acceptance of a $366,000 settlement in June 2003.

It also described in August 2003 that families of five other victims received undisclosed settlements from the Harrises and Klebolds.

Other details

Trenchcoat Mafia membership and reports

The record described that Harris and Klebold were initially reported to be members of a group that called themselves the “Trenchcoat Mafia,” though it also stated that they had no particular connection with the group and did not appear in a group photo in the 1998 Columbine yearbook. It stated that Harris’s father said Harris was “a member of what they call the Trenchcoat Mafia” in a 911 call made on April 20, 1999.

Bullying accounts and disputed outcast claims

The record described accounts that Harris and Klebold were unpopular students and targets of bullying. It also stated that reports of them being outcasts have been reported to be false, while sources supported accounts of bullying directed toward the pair.

It included quotes from Brooks Brown about what happened during teacher watch time: “That happened while teachers watched. They couldn’t fight back. They wore the ketchup all day and went home covered with it.” It also included a quoted statement: “People surrounded them in the commons and squirted ketchup packets all over them, laughing at them, calling them faggots,” Brooks Brown says.

The record also included quotes by Chad Laughlin: “A lot of the tension in the school came from the class above us,” and “There were people fearful of walking by a table where you knew you didn’t belong, stuff like that.” It also included: “Certain groups certainly got preferential treatment across the board.”

Medication and toxicology discussion for Harris

The record described that Harris was prescribed the anti-depressant Zoloft and later switched to Luvox (fluvoxamine). It stated that at the time of his death, Harris had therapeutic Luvox levels in his system, described as around 0.0031–0.0087 mg%. It also stated that opponents of contemporary psychiatry like Peter Breggin argued that psychiatric medications prescribed after Harris’s conviction could have exacerbated aggressiveness.

Video games and coded references

The record described that Harris had a web presence under the handle “REB” and other cyber aliases, including “Rebldomakr”, “Rebdoomer”, and “Rebdomine.” It described that Harris created levels for Doom, later known as the Harris levels. It described that Harris and Klebold posted pipe-bomb experimentation results on websites and that a website was shut down by America Online after the shootings and preserved for the FBI.

It also described that lyrics to KMFDM songs were posted on Harris’s website, and that the date of the massacre, April 20, coincided with the release date of the album Adios and the birthday of Adolf Hitler. It included a statement attributed to Sascha Konietzko: “First and foremost, KMFDM would like to express their deep and heartfelt sympathy for the parents, families and friends of the murdered and injured children in Littleton. We are sick and appalled, as is the rest of the nation, by what took place in Colorado yesterday. ” and additional lines: “KMFDM are an art form—not a political party. From the beginning, our music has been a statement against war, oppression, fascism and violence against others. While some of the former band members are German as reported in the media, none of us condone any Nazi beliefs whatsoever.”

Journal entries and quoted statements attributed to Harris and Klebold

The record included Harris’s anger-related journal statement from the time of his letter of apology and other quotations included above.

It also included a quote attributed to Klebold on the Basement Tapes: “You’ve been giving us shit for years. You’re fucking gonna pay for all the shit! We don’t give a shit. Because we’re gonna die doing it.” It included another Harris journal quote: “I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things. And no don’t … say, ‘Well that's your fault,' because it isn't, you people had my phone #, and I asked and all, but no. No no no don’t let the weird-looking Eric KID come along.”

Parliamentary and FBI context

The record stated that in July 1999, the FBI organized a major summit on school shooters in Leesburg, Virginia, and that Attorney General Janet Reno attended. It described later Secret Service findings about school security and behaviors prior to targeted violence, and described that Secret Service researchers found zero-tolerance policies and metal detectors “are unlikely to be helpful,” and that there was no accurate or useful profile for students who engaged in targeted school violence.

Additional aftermath-related cultural references

The record described a range of cultural and media reactions, including references in songs and films, but these details were incidental and did not change the stated outcome for Harris.