-Caveat Lector-
Steve Wingate <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> -Caveat Lector-
>
> Shots fired at Denver-area high school
>
> Copyright © 1999 Nando Media
> Copyright © 1999 Associated Press
>
> LITTLETON, Colo. (April 20, 1999 2:24 p.m. EDT
> http://www.nandotimes.com) - Shots were fired Tuesday inside a high
> school in a suburb southwest of Denver, and an undetermined number of
> people were injured. There also were reports of an explosion and fire.
>
UPDATE:
Tuesday, April 20, 1999 Updated 17:26 EDT
Injury toll rises in school shootings
By Robert Weller
Associated Press
LITTLETON, Colo. -- Two young men dressed in long, black trench coats opened fire in a
suburban high school today, scattering students as gunshots ricocheted off lockers. At
least 20 people were wounded -- one girl shot nine times -- and other injured people
were stranded for hours in the building.
Explosions also were heard inside Columbine High School.
Nearly two hours after the 11:30 a.m. shooting, SWAT team members entered the building
and 15 to 20 students fled. The frightened students ran out with their hands in the
air and were later frisked by police. Several other groups of youths left the school
an hour later after an armored car was brought to an entrance for cover.
There was no confirmation that the gunmen were still inside, but police said some
students were in hiding. SWAT team members searching the building were able to see
some wounded students but couldn't reach them because the area wasn't secure, said
Steve Davis, spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
"We believe there are a few more victims," Davis said. "We're hearing from deputies
who can see from their vantage points more victims."
He said police were looking for two suspects, but "where in the building is unknown."
Davis said fire trucks and armored cars were being brought in to get to the victims.
One student, Kami Vest, called her father as she hid in the school with 30 other
students. "They have been able to call out on a cell phone and tell us they are OK,"
Dale Vest said. He said she remained in hiding.
"I hope the American people will be praying for the students, parents and teachers,"
President Clinton said this afternoon.
Television images, broadcast nationwide, showed police cars and ambulances at a
staging area near the school, and helmeted officers in camouflage gear. At
midafternoon, a bloodied young man dangled from a second-floor window, his right arm
limp, and was helped down by two SWAT team members. His condition was not immediately
known.
Shortly after the school was stormed, three youths wearing black -- but not trench
coats -- were stopped by police in a field near the school. The Colorado Bureau of
Investigation told KUSA-TV that the three were friends of the gunmen who were being
taken in for questioning.
Some witnesses said there were two gunmen and that the shootings took place around the
school, including the cafeteria and library.
"We heard the gunshots, and we were running," said Kaley Boyle, a junior at Columbine.
"They walked down the stairs, and they started shooting people," said a student who
gave her name as Janine. "We didn't think it was real, and then we saw blood."
She said it was two young men, wearing black trench coats.
Kate Moulton, left, is reunited with her daughter Lauren, 14. (Ed Andrieski / AP)
"They were shooting people and throwing grenades and stuff. ... Me and my friends got
to my car and drove off. ... We saw three people get shot. They were just shooting.
Then something blew up."
Bob Sapin, another student, also said the gunmen were all in black, in trench coats
and masks.
"I hid behind the school in the bushes and I saw them. When they started walking down
the hallway, I ran and I ran and I hid in the bushes," he said.
Eight to 10 students in the school wear black trench coats every day, students said.
Josh Nielsen said they are known as the "Trench Coat Mafia." Said another classmate,
Jason Greer, "They are jerks. They are really strange, but I've never seen them do
anything violent."
At the adjacent Clement Park, students were shaking and crying as parents wandered
about, looking for their children. Police helicopters whirled overhead and hundreds of
police officers patrolled in the area of the school and park.
At least 19 people were taken to hospitals, including a girl who suffered nine gunshot
wounds to the chest. Kari Mackecher, spokesman for HealthOne, which runs Swedish
Medical Center, said four students were taken there, all in serious condition but
conscious, and a fifth was en route.
In addition to the girl with nine gunshot wounds, a second girl had a wound to the
chest, a boy had a wound in the back, and another youth had three gunshot wounds in
the chest and arms. A fifth person was en route, but there was no information
available.
Five other hospitals reported getting 14 people, at least one of them in critical
condi
