Columbine page 9

 Columbine page 9 by ric gustafson

The first officer to be alerted was Deputy Gardner. A custodian radioed the officer. Then a 911 call came through that a girl had been shot in the senior parking lot. When Gardner reached the ' commons', he noticed kids running and smoke rising. On his radio, Gardner heard dispatchers, gunshots and explosions. Art teacher Patti Nielsen and a student named Brian reached the exit. Nielsen saw Eric Harris shooting into the senior parking lot. Eric saw the two and fired. Some glass doors shattered. Both Nielsen and the student were wounded by shrapnel. Nielsen stood up and ran into the library. Inside, she hid behind the library counter. She called 911.

Coach Dave Sanders saw Nielsen run into the library. He noticed a student peeking out of the choir room. " Get down".

It took 28 minutes for the story to hit local television. The networks followed. Coverage began with confused reports about a shooting, multiple shots and possible explosions. The High School quickly became mayhem. Choppers, police, firefighters, parents and journalists converged on the school. Nobody was going inside.

911 operators were overwhelmed. Hundreds of students were still inside the building. Some witnesses thought there may of been several shooters instead of 2. Witnesses saw boys, all white all Columbine students. Witnesses saw shooting in the parking lot, in the cafeteria and upstairs while roaming the halls. Witnesses saw Harris and Klebold wearing T shirts, long black trench coats, hats and ski masks. Witnesses saw a possible shooter on the roof. It turned out to be a scared air conditioner repairman.

research help: ' Columbine' by Dave Cullen

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric