Columbine updates | 2000
Columbine Shooting Aftermath 2000
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One year later...

Robyn Anderson speaks about Columbine
Robyn Anderson told the House Judiciary Committee in January 2000 that a background check would've intimidated her sufficiently to keep her from buying the weapons. (Read her full statement)
Beth Nimmo
Beth Nimmo, mother of victim Rachel Scott, complained to the press about the release for public sale of the Jefferson County Fire Deparment's footage of 4-20, a 'training video' that originally featured music used without permission.

January 1, 2000 -- Bruce Porter, the pastor who presided over victim Rachel Scott's funeral, publishes his book The Martyrs' Torch.

January 12, 2000 -- Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone was issued a temporary restraining order against his releasing a videotape made by Eric Harris.

January 20, 2000 -- Jefferson County school board voted 4-1 to support a plan to demolish the old library at Columbine and build an atrium in its place. The vote included plans to build a new library. Philip Duran pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Lance Kirklin out shooting with dad Mike Lance, scarred but moving on
Lance Kirklin continues to hunt with his dad
Mike Kirklin despite the tragedy. He was shot
four times by Harris and a fifth time at short
range by Klebold, the shot that shattered his jaw.
Mark Taylor and dad Mark Taylor and mom
Mark Taylor attends a press conference with
dad (Donnie) and mom.
January 21, 2000 -- Sharon Magness pledged $250,000 to build Columbine a new library.

January 27, 2000 -- 9 bills passed in the Colorado House Judiciary Committee, making for tougher gun-buying regulations in Colorado. Robyn Anderson, who legally bought three of the four guns used during the massacre of April 20th, spoke on behalf of the bills.

January 31, 2000 -- The family of Isaiah Shoels moved to Houston, Texas.

February 9, 2000 -- Michael Ian Campbell pleaded guilty to communicating a threat across state lines. Sentencing was set for April 28, 2000.

February 13, 2000 -- Nicholas Kunselman, 15, and Stephanie Hart, 16, - both students at Columbine - were killed late Sunday night at a Subway restaurant two blocks south of Columbine High School. Nicholas was supposed to lock up the store; Stephanie was there to give him a ride home.

February 14, 2000 -- The bodies of Nicholas Kunselman and Stephanie Hart were discovered at the Subway restaurant around 1:30 AM (Valentine's Day) by another Subway employee who noticed the lights were still on when she drove by. Victim Rachel Scott worked at the shop before she was killed at the school.

Later that same day, the ESPY Awards presented the family of William "Dave" Sanders the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tom Mauser NRA protest Anti-NRA rally
Tom Mauser gives an emotional speech at a rally protesting an NRA convention that was to be held soon
after the Buell Elementary School shooting, this time a fatality involving kindergartners.
February 19, 2000 -- A joint funeral service was held for Nicholas and Stephanie. They were buried alongside each other.

March 3, 2000 -- Jefferson County Assistant Attorney Bill Tuthill announced that the sheriff's office wouldn't make public any videotapes, diaries, or lists that were made by the gunmen until litigation concluded.

March 11, 2000 -- A new staircase was built outside Columbine High School by stonemasons.

March 12, 2000 -- Dawn Anna, mother of Lauren Townsend, was given the Sportswomen of Colorado's award for courage and inspiration.

March 27, 2000 -- Jefferson County Undersheriff John Dunaway announced that the official report from the sheriff's office would be released in May.

March 30, 2000 -- Bruce Springsteen donates 50 seats at his concert as a fundraiser for HOPE, the organization raising money to replace the library at Columbine High.

Open letter from the parents of Eric Harris:

We continue to be profoundly saddened by the suffering of so many that has resulted from the acts of our son. We loved our son dearly, and search our souls daily for some glimmer of a reason why he would have done such a horrible thing. What he did was unforgivable and beyond our capacity to understand. The passage of time has yet to lessen the pain.

We are thankful to those who have kept us in their thoughts and prayers.

Wayne and Kathy Harris -- 4-15-2000
April 9, 2000 -- In an effort to keep the media away from the school during the upcoming one year 'anniversary', Columbine High School was opened up for tours.

April 10, 2000 -- The families of Kelly Fleming and Daniel Rohrbough demanded release of the Jefferson County sheriff's department investigative report on the shootings to determine if they would sue. By Colorado state law, lawsuits must be filed by the one year anniversary of the event.

April 12, 2000 -- President Clinton returned to Denver for a SAFE Colorado gun-control rally and a town hall meeting with NBC-TV anchor Tom Brokaw.

Open letter from the parents of Dylan Klebold:

Nearly a year has passed since tragedy changed the Columbine
community forever. A day that began innocently ended catastrophically.
The healing process has moved slowly as we all attempt to cope, not
only with our own despair, but also with the distractions and intrusions
that result from world attention.

There are no words to convey how sorry we are for the pain that has
been brought upon the community as a result of our son's actions.
The pain of others compounds our own as we struggle to live a life
without the son we cherished. In the reality of the Columbine tragedy
and its aftermath, we look with the rest of the world to understand
how such a thing could happen.

We are convinced that the only way to truly honor all of the victims of
this and other related tragedies is to move clearly and methodically
toward an understanding of why they occur, so that we may try to
prevent this kind of madness from ever happening again. It is our
intention to work for this end, believing that answers are probably
within reach, but that they will not be simple. We envision a time
when circumstances will allow us to join with those who share our
desire to understand. In the meantime, we again express our
profound condolences to those whose lives have been so tragically
altered. We look forward to a day when all of our pain is replaced
by peace and acceptance.

Finally, we wish to thank those who have sent their kind thoughts,
prayers and expressions of support to our family. We are constantly
surprised and heartened by the gestures of understanding and
compassion that have been extended to us. The support has been
both humbling and inspiring, and we are truly indebted to those who
have offered it.

The Klebold family -- 4-15-2000
April 15, 2000 -- Parents of both shooters issued public letters of apology (see boxes).

April 17, 2000 -- Colorado District Judge Brooke Jackson ruled that the families of Kelly Fleming and Daniel Rohrbough could view portions of the sheriff's report and tapes. They were not allowed make copies or discuss anything they saw with the public.

April 18, 2000 -- Judge Jackson included all the families of those affected by the shootings in his ruling. Isaiah Shoels's family became the first to sue Sheriff John Stone.

April 19, 2000 -- 14 other families filed lawsuits against the sheriff and other authorities.

April 20, 2000 -- Many of the families of Columbine students decided to leave town instead of facing the media that flocked back to Littleton in droves for the one year 'anniversary'. Half of the students showed up at Columbine for a private memorial assembly in the gym, while the parents gathered in the auditorium to reflect on the year. Governor Bill Owens led a state-wide moment of silence at 11:21 AM to honor the victims, the dead and the survivors. Columbine High School opened the library to parents (though not the students) to help them cope with the 'anniversary'. At 12:30 PM a public remembrance ceremony was held at Clement Park. The Columbine Rebels girl's soccer team defeated Chatfield 2-0 that day. A candlelight memorial vigil at Clement Park's amphitheater was held that evening.

April 24, 2000 -- Judge Jackson ordered the Jefferson County sheriff's office to release the Columbine High investigative report by May 15, 2000.

April 26, 2000 -- Copies of the tape that the families were allowed to see before they brought lawsuits against the Sheriff's office was released to the public and sold by JeffCo for $25.00. The tape included a 20-minute walk-through of Columbine High School the day after the massacre, complete with footage from blood-stained furniture in the library, with close-ups on some of the evidence cards that indicated where dead students's bodies were found. This footage was set to music by Littleton firefighter Chuck Burdick, on his own time with his own money. The songs included I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan, Columbine, Friend of Mine by the Cohen brothers, and If It Were Up to Me by Cheryl Wheeler. The tape also included nearly two hours of aerial footage shot on April 20, 1999 by a KCNC-News4 helicopter.

April 27, 2000 -- Lawyers representing Sarah McLachlan and Cheryl Wheeler and their labels slapped Jefferson County with a Cease and Desist order, to stop them selling the video with the unauthorized recordings of their songs. Jefferson County officials defended the release and said they would not remove the songs.

April 28, 2000 -- After being threatened with lawsuits by the labels of Sarah McLachlan and Cheryl Wheeler with legal action, Jefferson County officials removed the songs from the tape.
Michael Ian Campbell, the Florida youth who threatened Columbine student Erin Walton via internet chat on December 15, 1999, was sentenced to four months in prison.

May 1, 2000 -- Sales of the tape still went well, even without the songs. eBay, after removing previous auctions of the tapes containing the music, allowed auctions of tapes without the music to be sold. (As a side note, they no longer allow ANY kind of Columbine videos to be sold through them.) Tom and Sue Klebold, parents of Dylan, together with Wayne and Kathy Harris, parents of Eric, filed a motion to keep items seized from their home immediately following the massacre out of the hands of the public.

May 2, 2000 -- ABC News reported that they had a draft of the investigative report and how it detailed the events of April 20, 1999 minute by minute.
HOPE reached its goal of $3.1 million needed to replace the old library with a two-story atrium and build the school a new library elsewhere on the campus.

May 3, 2000 -- Corey DePooter was made an honorary Marine during a memorial ceremony at his gravesite.

May 4, 2000 -- Greg Barnes, a Columbine High student in his Junior year and a basketball player for the school team, committed suicide by hanging himself two weeks after the first 'anniversary' of the shootings. He was in the school on April 20, 1999 and escaped without injury, though he saw Coach Dave Sanders die and victim Matthew Kechter was a close friend of his. His father found Greg's body in the garage at 12:15 PM with a CD repeating one song over and over: Adam's Song by Blink 182. He left no note but it is believed the suicide was prompted by a recent break-up with his girlfriend. His death left his family and fellow students at Columbine stunned.

Rachel Scott's family
Rachel Scott's father Darrel and sister
Bethanee read the hundreds of Christmas
cards that arrived for their family and Rachel.
Darrell Scott
Darrell Scott leads a memorial
service for the victims
of the shootings.
Daniel Mauser's family
Daniel Mauser's family spends a somber
moment at his memorial on Christmas.