When was the Columbine High School shooting, who were gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and how many were killed?
COLUMBINE High School massacre was a crime that stunned the United States and the world nearly 20 years ago.
But the shooting proved to be just the beginning of a sorry chapter in the nation’s modern history.
When was the Columbine High School massacre?
On April 20, 1999, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered classmates in the school in Littleton, Colorado, in cold blood.
Dressed in trench coats, the demented duo began opening fire on pupils outside the school before moving inside and spraying bullets at victims in the library.
It later emerged Harris and Klebold placed two duffel bags each containing a 20-pound propane bomb set to explode in the cafeteria.
They then waited outside.
But when the bombs failed to go off, they started gunning down students.
A total of 188 rounds of ammunition were fired during the bloodbath.
A vigil and community service day are some of the remembrance events that will be held this week.
The school will be hosting a day of "reflection" where students and teachers will be engaging in a statewide “Day of Recommitment” through acts of community service.
Who were shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold?
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were two 18-year-old students at Columbine High School who carried out a shooting rampage which coincided with the date of Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
They killed themselves after a shootout with police.
A journal found later in Harris’ bedroom contained a detailed attack plan.
But while we know how they intended to carry out the outrage, it remains a mystery why they decided to carry out such an evil act.
Yet the incident did shine the spotlight on the infamously toxic – and uniquely American – high school culture of jocks and preppies.
This clique were said to have ruled Columbine with arrogance and cruelty.
Some speculate revenge for bullying may have been a motive.
The killers used a wide variety of weaponry to carry out their evil killing spree.
Guns, pipe bombs, propane bombs, car bombs and knives were all used by Harris and Klebold.
How many people died during the Columbine High School massacre?
The psychotic pair murdered 12 students and one teacher.
They injured 21 and three more were wounded while attempting to escape.
Ten students were killed in the library, where the pair subsequently committed suicide.
At the time, it was the deadliest shooting at a high school in United States history.
The killers exchanged gunfire with the police, before another three people were injured trying to escape the school.
But the dystopian event was not a one off and children in America continue to be exposed to gun violence that is unparalleled anywhere in the Western world.
More than 187,000 kids have been exposed to gun violence at school since Columbine, The Washington Post found.
The police were slow to enter the school, and they were heavily criticised for not intervening during the shooting.
Who were the British schoolboys who planned a Columbine style massacre?
The horrific shooting inspired two British teenagers to plan their own Columbine style massacre at their school in Northallerton, North Yorks., but they were caught before it could take place.
Thomas Wyllie and Alex Bolland, both 18, were locked up for a total of 22 years on July 19 for their planned attack.
In order to carry out the attack the pair had drawn up a list of students and teachers they intended to shoot dead.
They claimed the attack was revenge for being bullied and they were both obsessed with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold who committed the Columbine massacre in 1999.
However, their planed was foiled when Bolland boasted to a friend about their planned attack, leading the police to be alerted.
Their plan had been to torture and murder Wyllie's girlfriend's parents before stealing her dad's shotguns and to make a homemade nail bomb to use at the school.
What's the latest?
Cops were on the hunt for an armed woman who made threats against Columbine High School yesterday – just days before 20th anniversary of the school's bloody massacre.
Columbine and nearly 20 other schools in the Denver area were put on lockdown at 1pm local time on Tuesday as cops scoured for the missing teen.
The FBI Denver Division and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office are looking for 18-year-old Sol Pais.
Pais, of Miami Beach, Florida, was last seen in the foothills of Jefferson County Monday wearing a black t-shirt, camouflage pants, and black boots.
She was said to be obsessed with the April 1999 Columbine school shooting, according to The Denver Post.
As a result of the threats, Columbine High School and nearly 20 other schools were put on lockdown.
School officials said the doors were locked but classes continued.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said deputies were at the schools involved.
Pais was pronounced dead according to FBI Denver, who tweeted: THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY. More information to follow shortly. #FindSol
A lockdown is a response to a threat directly to the school or in the surrounding community – no one is allowed to enter or leave the buildings on campus.
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