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Massacre Investigators Says Colo. Teens Wanted To Kill 500
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By Dan Whitcomb
LITTLETON, Colo. (Reuters) - Two teenagers who massacred 13 people at Columbine High School last week had planned to kill 500 students, destroy the school and commandeer a plane to crash it into New York City, investigators said Monday.
Police also said that an 18-year-old woman friend may have given Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, a gun used in the murders of a teacher and 12 students. The equipment they used to make more than 30 bombs came from other friends, officials said.
Harris and Klebold, both of whom had deep-seated grudges against their fellow students, used more than 30 bombs, including a 20-pound (nine kg) propane tank, in the attack plus a TEC-9 semi-automatic gun.
Jefferson County District Attorney Dave Thomas said police are not close to an arrest of an accomplice and that several people questioned by investigators have hired attorneys.
``There is a female who I believe had access to this weapon (the TEC-9 semi-automatic) prior to Tuesday. We are looking into how she got access to that weapon, and what involvement she may have had,'' he told reporters at the high school.
A diary found at the house of one of the two young killers has given police a graphic and chilling account of what Harris and Klebold wanted to do.
The diary described the killers as wanting to kill 500 students by blowing up the school. Then, the diary said, the two teenagers wanted to commandeer an airplane to crash it into New York City, said Jefferson County Sheriff spokesman Steve Davis Monday. He said he had no idea why they wanted to go to New York other than it was a densely populated city.
``We have indications in the diary, that make us believe that if in fact they were able to carry out their entire plan, there could have been quite a bit more damage and quite a few more fatalities,'' Davis said.
Excerpts from the diary may be released later Monday, he said.
KMGH television reported in Denver that sources had said that the female friend had admitted buying a gun at a Denver gun show several months ago. KMGH also reported that sources had told them that a gun dealer had told the suspects how to saw off shotgun barrels, making the weapons easier to conceal.
``It could be a crime simply to supply the guns, but you would have to know the circumstances,'' Thomas said.
Authorities were still investigating the parents of Klebold and Harris, but District Attorney Thomas stressed it was premature to conclude that they knew, or should have known, that the two were planning a massive assault.
The New York Times Monday quoted a pastor in contact with the Klebold family as saying the youth's parents were stunned and devastated by what happened.
Susan Klebold thought her son's voice had an edge to it when he said goodbye last Tuesday, the day of the attack, Rev. Don Marxhausen, a Lutheran minister, told the paper.
``She thought maybe he's in a bad mood. Maybe he's got a test today or something,'' he said.
The youth, who was half Jewish, reportedly had a fascination with Hitler. He and Harris planned their attack to coincide with the anniversary of the Nazi dictator's 110th birthday.
But the family never got a glimpse of that side of their son. Marxhausen said that Dylan Klebold attended a Passover Seder with his family this spring, and asked the traditional four questions at the table.
Tearful friends and relatives attended funerals Monday for William David Sanders, a popular teacher at the school, and Cassie Bernall, who was shot in the head after she answered ''yes'' when asked by one of the gunmen if she believed in God. She is being hailed as a martyr to God.
Teacher Dave Sanders was hailed as a hero at his funeral by friends and family. He was the teacher who rushed dozens of students to safety before being shot.
After the first shots were fired, Sanders herded students out of the cafeteria outside and upstairs, saving many from slaughter. Shot twice in the chest, he hid in a classroom with students, who tried to save him and showed him pictures of his family from his wallet before he died.
Services will be held Monday for Lauren Townsend, a top student, and Daniel Rohrbough, a 15-year-old who was seen running screaming for his mother before he was shot in the back.