THE LITTLETON SCHOOL MASSACRE

State of Emergency

All of the six district hospitals had been put on alert as soon as news of the shooting had been reported by the school's security guard at 11:35. They had swung automatically into emergency procedures. By 12:00 p.m., when the first of the victims began to arrive, they were ready for anything. Twenty- five people were admitted for treatment. Twenty-three had bullet wounds. Three were in a critical condition.

Woman embraces her daughter (AP)

Terrified parents flocked to the school, watching helplessly as students ran from the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of their sons and daughters. In the midst of the chaos, someone began to organize a list of all known survivors. Parents read through the lists, searching for the names of their children. Many would have to wait a long and agonizing time before word of their children would bring relief. For others, the relief would never come.

When the sun set that night, it was on a different Littleton. Everyone in the town was to be affected by the tragic and frightening events of Tuesday, April 20, 1999. They were no longer innocents. No longer could they live secure in the knowledge that such things could never happen to them. It had happened. The next few months would bring the painful grief, self-recrimination and blame that is a natural process of coming to terms with such a violent and tragic event.

• Print version
• Email this
• 

1. Hidden Rage
2. Rampage
3. State of Emergency
4. A Town In Mourning
5. On the Surface
6. Secret Lives
7. Accomplices
8. Well Laid Plans
9. The Finger of Blame
10. Police Under Fire
11. A Growing Problem
12. The Search for Solutions
13. Epilogue
14. Developments & Discoveries
15. Legal Battles
16. Cover Up?
17. Bibliography