– (Daniel Rosini, Rodrigo Maroja and Tiago Cordeiro/)
On April 20, 1999, teenagers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris carried out a macabre plan that had been planned for months. “Today is the day the world ends,” Eric told Dylan.
The duo invaded the school where they studied, in the city of Littleton, Colorado, and opened fire on other students, teachers and staff. Panic ensued and the action drew media attention. The whole world followed, appalled, images of young people leaving the school in tears or bloodied, while desperate parents, law enforcement agents and ambulances were waiting for them outside.
The attack lasted about an hour, involving firearms and homemade bombs. It ended with 13 dead, plus Dylan and Eric’s suicide. Even after the executioners were killed, there were still students hiding in school lockers. They were paralyzed with dread.
In the infographic above, each cross indicates one of the victims. The numbers order the assassins’ advance and correspond to the legends below:
1) 11:14 am
The pair plant bombs in the coffee shop and head to the parking lot. The plan is to wait for the explosion and then shoot students and staff who ran out the door.
2) 11:19 am
Scheduled to be detonated at 11:17 am, the bombs failed. The two decide to head back to the cafeteria. On the way, they randomly shoot people outside.
3) 11:24 am
With Eric in charge, the shooters enter the school and roam the halls. A teacher is hit and drags himself into a science room, where he dies.
– (Daniel Rosini/)
4) 11:29 am
The assassins arrive at the library. As the students try to hide under the desks, they shoot each victim multiple times. Ten of the 13 deaths happen here.
– (Daniel Rosini/)
5) 11:36 am
Eric and Dylan return to the cafeteria and try, this time successfully, to detonate one of the bombs. Meanwhile, they drink water, place their weapons on a table and talk calmly.
– (Daniel Rosini/)
6) 12:08 am
As the police begin to surround the building, the gunmen make their way back into the library. From the window, they launch a volley of bullets in the direction of agents and paramedics who were outside. Finally, cornered, Eric and Dylan put the gun in their mouths and shoot. The school is only declared fully secure at 4:30 pm.
– (Daniel Rosini, Rodrigo Maroja and Tiago Cordeiro/)
THE KILLERS
Dylan Bennett Klebold (1981-1999): Raised by a Lutheran family in Lakewood, Colorado, he was a shy but hands-on student who helped maintain the school’s computer server.
Eric David Harris (1981-1999): Diagnosed after the incident as a typical psychopath, he was born in Wichita, Kansas, the son of an American Air Force pilot. Sociable, he took care of the look and didn’t miss a party.
SOURCES Film shots at columbineby Michael Moore, 2002, and book columbineby Dave Cullen, 2010