The actual anniversary of the Columbine massacare was April 20, but I just finished a riveting book by Dave Cullen, on the events of that day and the aftermath of the tragedy. 

Every person has their own unique interests, and I’ve noticed that I am fascinated to read and learn about how people and media react in times of ‘unpresidented tragedy’, so to speak.  One example I can think of took place after President Kennedy was assinated in 1963.  It was immediately decided to swear in Lydon Johnson as the 36th president of the United States on board of Air Force I with the poor widowed Jackie Kennedy standing next to him in a outfit still covered in her husband’s blood.  There was no need for that symbolic act to take place so quickly in the midst of a tragedy, but they felt it was needed to show the country and the world, that America would continue to function undeterred, and I think they made the correct decision.

There are countless other instances, that I find intriguing, as how resillient Mayor Guilliani was essentially during the attacks of 9/11, saying ‘we will rebuild’ (even though nothing is even close to rebuilt almost eight years later).  It was reassuring the the country during a time of complete pandemonium.  Upon reading Cullen’s book Columbine, there were numerous decisions made by law enforcement and media that were both hastily and incorrectly made, and most of the public still is not aware of these mistakes.

It was widely reported that these kids, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were out to “kill the jocks” and exact revenge on people who picked on them.  The truth was that they had no premedited victims.  They simply wanted to kill everyone in the school and out do their idol, Timothy McVeigh, who orchestrated the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995, killing 168 people.  They plotted out in every way how they could kill the most possible students and teachers.  Harris and Klebold planted two giant propane tanks in the cafeteria of the school, and set a timer for the bombs to detonate at exactly 11:13, which they studied to be the highest traffic point in the cafeteria.  They also loaded their cars with homemade napalm bombs to go off one hour after the bombs in the cafeteria with the hopes of many more casualties from rescue workers and students who managed to escape the carnage inside.  This information was given to the media within days of the attack, but it was as if media’s story was already written.  Two shy goth boys who wanted to get back at the jocks that picked on them.  That story might have been convenient, and make other schools around the country take a hard look at hazing, but it was far from the truth. These boys were simply sociopaths.

The media also botched the story of Cassie Bernall, who lost her life that day.  A student who was in a state of shock immediately after the attack told a story that one of the killers asked her if she believed in God, and she answered ‘yes’, the killer laughed asked why, and then killed her with his sawed off shotgun.  The media ran with this story, and it was on every major news channel and newspaper.  The problem was that conversation never took place.  There are numerous studies that people at the scene of a crime tend to not be the best eye witnesses, due to the trama but at least five other students in the Columbine library at that time refuted that story, but no media outlets seemed to want to recant that story, and Cassie’s parents have dealt with not only the loss of their daughter, but her immediate rise to what some called sainthood, to then accused of trying to capitalize off of an untrue story by writing a book about her life.

You also have to take a look at the police.  They had detective John Stone, a man who had been Sheriff in Jefferson County for less than two years, and was more of a politician than a tactical sherriff.  it took them over four hours to storm the building at 3:20, incorrectly thinking it was a hostage standoff, when the shooters committed suicide three hours earlier at 12:08, allowing more than one student and faculty member to pass away due to the delay in sending in the SWAT team.  The only good to come out of that bad decision, was a change in all future similar situations, putting in place the Immediate Action Rapid Deployment tatic and may help saved some lives in the future.

When the attack was in progress, students fleed the building as quickly as possible.  The police and rescue teams had the students run into a large field behind the school.  Of course parents were all mortified, but couldn’t get to the school as a huge area had been roped off by police.  The parents were told to go to Leawood Elementary where the kids would be bussed over from the field.  Bus after bus arrived with families reuniting, and others wondering if their kids were still inside the school.  The police knew that 12 children were killed, but were not ready to tell the parents, so they instead gave them the false hope that one more bus was on the way.  As two hours went by, the parents rightfully wanted answers, doubting there was any additional busses, and it was only then that they were told their kids had been senselessly killed that day.

A decision was also made to leave the bodies of two deceased students in the parking lot of Columbine High School for over 48 hours, without even any covering.  The police stated fear that some of the bodies could have been staged with explosives when moved, but it stole the dignity of these two teenagers.  I can’t even wrap my head around how difficult it must have been for the parents of those two students, knowing their child’s deceased body lay in a parking lot covered in snow.

Overall, it was a horrible day in America, ruined the lives of many families, and made everyone feel a little less safe about going to school or sending their children to school.  The only positive you can possibly take out of it, is that we learn from the mistakes made by both the Sherriff’s Department and the media, and don’t repeat those same mistakes in another moment of tragedy.

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