DENVER, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Questions still linger in the minds of people whose lives were changed forever by the Columbine High School shootings nearly four years ago, although thousands of documents have been released from the investigation into the tragedy.
Videotapes, journals and essays left by teenage killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold have revealed they had a fascination with death and violence and they were angry and bitter about their everyday lives as high school students in suburban Denver.
In 1997, Klebold wrote of depression and social ostracism, threatening suicide, and saying he wanted to go on a killing spree. Harris was apparently on an antidepressant medication and made threats against fellow students on his personal Web site.
"I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things," he said of his classmates at Columbine.
Klebold and Harris passed through a juvenile diversion program after being arrested for breaking into an electrician's van and stealing $250 in items in 1998. Both boys received high marks from juvenile justice officials before they were released.
"Dylan is a bright young man who has a great deal of potential. If he is able to tap his potential and become self-motivated he should do well in life," wrote one officer.
The two were "manifestly embittered" after their arrest, the Columbine Review Commission stated in its May 2001 report. In videotapes the two "expressed clear hatred for society in general and, beyond that, for all humankind," the panel stated.
On April 20, 1999, Klebold and Harris launched an attack that shocked the nation. Armed with two sawed-off shotguns, two pistols, and dozens of explosives, they attacked their own school, killing 12 classmates, a teacher and then themselves in the nation's deadliest school shooting.
Although more than 25,000 Columbine-related documents have been released by the Jefferson County Sheriff's office, many people affected by the shooting and officials are still demanding more disclosure to answer lingering questions.
William H. Erickson, the former Colorado Supreme Court chief justice who headed the Columbine commission, told United Press International that his panel's investigation could have used records withheld by Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone.
"They had a lot of information that would have been very helpful to us," he said. "Their failure to cooperate with the governor's commission was in my opinion poorly done in an effort to not disclose some of the shortcomings of the sheriff's office."
The commission urged creation of threat assessment teams at every Colorado high school, improved police tactical training and other measures to prevent another school massacre. Stone was criticized for being "singularly uncooperative" with the review.
Randy Brown, whose son was named as a potential suspect and later cleared, is continuing his campaign for more disclosure, as is Brian Rohrbough whose son, Dan, was killed in the attack on the Columbine school.
"We're continuing to pursue it," Rohrbough recently told The Rocky Mountain News. "I don't care if it takes another 10 years."
Another 9,735 pages of Columbine documents were released Jan. 8 by the sheriff's office but there are still an unknown number of records that are under wraps and some that may never be made public to prevent copycats or protect innocent people.
Nearly a year ago the Columbine Records Review Task Force was formed to open as many records as possible because of the continuing clamor for public disclosure. The group has been instrumental in releasing many of the newly disclosed documents.
"It seemed there was a high level of controversy about whether the government was hiding records as opposed to what we thought was the appropriate question which was why did these kids do this and how do we prevent this in the future," said Alan Gilbert, the Colorado solicitor general and co-chair of the panel.
Even Gilbert admits he doesn't know if there are records still out there that might reveal more about Klebold and Harris.
"It's an unknown," he told UPI, citing a recent example of the frustration with getting answers.
There have been persistent questions about whether Klebold killed himself or Harris had actually shot him. Klebold's parents recently released a sealed autopsy report after years of litigation but it still failed to answer the question.
The report simply stated that Klebold died from a gunshot wound to his left temple and concluded the wound was self-inflicted. Some skeptics have questioned the shooter's suicide because his 9 mm pistol was found near his right hand.
Erickson said the so-called "basement tapes," home videos that Klebold and Harris recorded in one of their home basements preceding the assault, have pretty much established their mind-set in the months preceding the assault.
"This was a well-planned assault that had been put together meticulously by these two boys over a period of more than a year," he said.
In the videotapes, the two youths outlined their plans to storm the school, displayed their arsenal of explosives and guns, and acted out in a dress rehearsal their planned assault. They again expressed their hatred for their classmates and society.
The "basement tapes" are now the subject of a court battle before a Colorado appeals court. They were momentarily released to Time magazine by Stone after the massacre but then withdrawn by the sheriff.
Erickson said the evidence so far indicates there were plenty of warning signs that should have alerted teachers, classmates, and others that the boys were dangerous.
"There were a lot of red flags that were not heeded," he told UPI. "The basement tapes go into great detail about what the plans were for that fateful morning. Students had reported to the faculty that threats that had been made by both Klebold and Harris."
(Reported by Phil Magers in Dallas)
