Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre on April 20th, 1999. Both were seniors at the school, both kept journals largely concerned with planning the massacre, and both killed themselves at the conclusion of the shooting. Both had been bullied severely, but had friends other than each other. Harris had a history of depression and suicidal thoughts, and was prescribed medication for this. Klebold had more severe depression, stemming from his consistent romantic failure as documented in his journal. Harris’ journal, available to be read online in full, contains much exposition on his plans for the massacre. By the time of the shooting, he and Klebold owned four guns between
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“keep this is mind, I want to burn the world, I want to kill everyone except for about 5 people, who I will name later, so If you are reading this you are lucky you escaped my rampage because I wanted to kill you. [sic]” But in the same entry he stated “Once I finally start my killing, keep this in mind, there are probably about 100 people max in the school alone who I don’t want to die, the rest, MUST FUCKING DIE! [sic]” Klebold’s journal is not as frequently violent; it mainly contains drawings, love poems, and nihilistic philosophy. Entries planning the shooting there are mainly to-do lists and diagrams of combat gear. All deaths, including the shooters’ suicides, resulted from gunshot wounds or by shrapnel resulting from gunshots. The 24 pipe bombs the two constructed were used and detonated correctly, but did not result in any fatalities. The massacre occurred on April 20th, 1999, and began at 11:19 A.M., two minutes after the cafeteria bombs were set to detonate. The shooters had planted another time bomb in a grassy area several miles away from the high school to create a fire as a diversion for town’s police and fire department. Shortly before the beginning of the massacre, when Harris was walking from his car to the building to There were thirteen casualties (twelve students and one teacher) and twenty-four were wounded. In addition, both shot themselves in the head at 12:08 P.M.; Harris …show more content…
As stated before the two were both bullied , but were not total outcasts, and had no apparent conflict at home, nor any inborn mental irregularity. The autopsies performed on them after their suicides show that they were in regular health at the time, though the brains could not be examined for obvious reasons. The journals contain no indication that either killer would receive sexual gratification from murder, and the two were certainly neither in gangs nor using drugs. Harris states his goal clearly in his journal entry for October 23, 1998: “I have a goal to destroy as much as possible [...]” and then does not elaborate on why. He had an avowed interest in and love of Nazi symbolism and ideology (“like the early Nazi government, my brain is like a sponge, sucking up everything that sounds cool and leaving out all that is worthless, thats how Nazism was formed and thats how I will be too! [sic]”), but did not seem to worship Hitler or the other party heads specifically. Despite the confusion, it is abundantly clear that Harris was a psychopath of the highest order. In 1998, he was taken to a psychiatrist and made to fill out a mental health self-evaluation. In it, there was a list of possible symptoms for him to check off- so that even according to himself, Harris had problems with anger, anxiety, depression, homicidal thoughts, obsessive thoughts, mood swings, temper, and further irregularities. Klebold’s journals, on the other hand,
“keep this is mind, I want to burn the world, I want to kill everyone except for about 5 people, who I will name later, so If you are reading this you are lucky you escaped my rampage because I wanted to kill you. [sic]” But in the same entry he stated “Once I finally start my killing, keep this in mind, there are probably about 100 people max in the school alone who I don’t want to die, the rest, MUST FUCKING DIE! [sic]” Klebold’s journal is not as frequently violent; it mainly contains drawings, love poems, and nihilistic philosophy. Entries planning the shooting there are mainly to-do lists and diagrams of combat gear. All deaths, including the shooters’ suicides, resulted from gunshot wounds or by shrapnel resulting from gunshots. The 24 pipe bombs the two constructed were used and detonated correctly, but did not result in any fatalities. The massacre occurred on April 20th, 1999, and began at 11:19 A.M., two minutes after the cafeteria bombs were set to detonate. The shooters had planted another time bomb in a grassy area several miles away from the high school to create a fire as a diversion for town’s police and fire department. Shortly before the beginning of the massacre, when Harris was walking from his car to the building to There were thirteen casualties (twelve students and one teacher) and twenty-four were wounded. In addition, both shot themselves in the head at 12:08 P.M.; Harris …show more content…
As stated before the two were both bullied , but were not total outcasts, and had no apparent conflict at home, nor any inborn mental irregularity. The autopsies performed on them after their suicides show that they were in regular health at the time, though the brains could not be examined for obvious reasons. The journals contain no indication that either killer would receive sexual gratification from murder, and the two were certainly neither in gangs nor using drugs. Harris states his goal clearly in his journal entry for October 23, 1998: “I have a goal to destroy as much as possible [...]” and then does not elaborate on why. He had an avowed interest in and love of Nazi symbolism and ideology (“like the early Nazi government, my brain is like a sponge, sucking up everything that sounds cool and leaving out all that is worthless, thats how Nazism was formed and thats how I will be too! [sic]”), but did not seem to worship Hitler or the other party heads specifically. Despite the confusion, it is abundantly clear that Harris was a psychopath of the highest order. In 1998, he was taken to a psychiatrist and made to fill out a mental health self-evaluation. In it, there was a list of possible symptoms for him to check off- so that even according to himself, Harris had problems with anger, anxiety, depression, homicidal thoughts, obsessive thoughts, mood swings, temper, and further irregularities. Klebold’s journals, on the other hand,