On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing took place at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, carried out by two 12th-grade students.
The perpetrators, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 13 students (12 students and 1 teacher). Ten were killed in the school library, where Harris and Klebold subsequently died by suicide. Twenty additional people were injured by gunshots. Another three people were injured trying to escape.
Thirteen innocent people were killed, leaving their loved ones in a state of grief and trauma. Others sustained injuries, some resulting in disfigurement and permanent disability.
The attackers had planned the massacre for about a year, intending it to be primarily a bombing. However, when their homemade bombs failed to explode, they began shooting. Their motive remains inconclusive. The police were slow to enter the school and were heavily criticized for not intervening during the shooting. The incident resulted in the introduction of the immediate action rapid deployment (IARD) tactic.
The violence sparked debates over American gun culture and gun control laws, high school cliques, subcultures (e.g. goths), outcasts, and school bullying, as well as teenage use of pharmaceutical antidepressants, the Internet, and violence in video games and film.
The event became a symbol of modern school shootings and inspired many copycat attacks, a phenomenon referred to as the “Columbine effect.” It is still considered one of the most infamous massacres in the US for inspiring many other school shootings and bombings.
🙋Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers
1. Why was law enforcement criticized for their response to the shooting?
2. What broader social debates did the Columbine shooting spark?
I thought of myself as a good mom. Helping my children become caring, healthy, responsible adults was the most important role of my life.
I failed as a parent. But there are no simple answers. I can't give you any solutions. All I can do is share what I have learned.
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