The plan to kill hundreds of students at Columbine High School was set in Eric Harris’ mind on Nov. 17, 1998, five months before the shootings.
Harris kept journals about his all-consuming hatred of others and his disgust with himself. But on that day, he was elated – he had been to a gun show and came back armed with weapons and ammunition.
“We … have … GUNS! HA!! HA HA HA! … It’s all over now, this capped it off, the point of no return,” he wrote.
The killers’ journals and day planners were filled with references to the plot and how they planned to carry it out, from to-do lists to diagrams and hit lists.
Harris’ accomplice, Dylan Klebold, illustrated how he would enter the school – guns and small explosives strapped to his body. He had a “do list” that included “Buy suspenders … Figure out how to carry knife … Buy Adidas soccer bag(s)… Buy ‘wrath’ Tshirt.”
On another drawing in his journal, Klebold pointed out that his shirt should be tucked in, that his shoes were size 12, and his shirt should be newly washed without cat hair, and there should be nothing in his pocket.
Klebold wrote about his impending death in his journal:
“About 26.5 hours from now the judgment will begin. Difficult but not impossible, necessary, nerveracking & fun. What fun is life without a little death?”
After penning a brief will, Klebold also detailed the time of each movement:
“Walkin, set bombs at 11:09, for 11:17. Drive to Clement Park. Gearup. get back by 11:15. Park cars. set car bombs for 11:18. get out. go to outside hill, wait. when first bomb goes off, attack. have fun!”
Harris detailed his plans on a document found on the computer at his house. “We will have knives and blades and backup weaponry all over our bodies.”
On March 22, 1999, Harris used a page in his journal to itemize how much the items for his plot would cost. He reminded himself to “practice in-car gearup.”
By April 3, 1999, he wrote that they had a “Tec-9” gun.
He marked his day planner for April 14 with a list: “Get nails; Get gas cans; Get duffel bags; Get propanes; fill my clips; finish fuses; finish crickets; finish T-bombs. …”
Other documents released Thursday also help trace their plan: And on April 20, 1999, receipts show they bought propane bottles at 8:35 a.m.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-820-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
