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Department inaction, delay contributed to killing, they say
By Karen Abbott, Peggy Lowe and Sue Lindsay Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writers
Daniel Rohrbough's family states in a lawsuit that a deputy sheriff's bullet killed their son as he lay wounded on a sidewalk outside Columbine High School. Teacher Dave Sanders' daughter charges that her father bled to death because officials refused for hours to rescue him, despite easy access to the classroom where he lay wounded. Authorities also refused to let others trapped with Sanders try to get him to safety on their own, she states. Several families whose children died in the school library say their children could have escaped to safety through an exit door if a 911 operator had not ordered teacher Patti Nielson to keep them where they were as the teen gunmen approached. Some families also allege that, 14 months before the attack, the father of one of the teen gunmen persuaded a friend in the Jefferson County sheriff's staff to prevent a search of his home for explosives. The claims are outlined in a crush of lawsuits filed against the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday as lawyers raced to meet a one-year legal deadline for suits against peace officers. The families of 14 people who were killed and injured in the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history brought 8 suits against the sheriff's office Wednesday. The family of a 15th casualty sued the office Tuesday. Jefferson County Attorney Frank Hutfless issued a statement pronouncing the lawsuits without legal merit and vowing to defend them vigorously. "We feel that further discussion of litigation is not appropriate during this week of remembrance," the statement said. Stone issued a statement saying he would spend today "in quiet, respectful reverence" and would give no interviews "to honor the memory of those 12 students and a teacher who were so tragically killed." "Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, both those murdered and those injured, the brave teachers, staff, students and all that have been affected," Stone's statement said. Jim Rouse, attorney for the family of Dan Rohrbough, said the claim that a deputy's bullet killed the youth is based on eyewitness reports, the trajectory of the bullets shown in the autopsy report, other physical evidence and the way Daniel fell onto the sidewalk. Rouse said one of the eyewitnesses was a Columbine teacher and the other was a law enforcement officer who doesn't work for Jefferson County. Rouse said sheriff's investigators told Rohrbough's family the fatal bullet never was recovered. The Rohrbaugh family claims the boy first was injured when one of the teen gunmen shot him in the leg, but he did not die of that wound. Sheriff's officials consistently have denied that any "friendly fire" struck the Columbine victims, citing ballistics tests they said showed that every bullet and pellet fired at the victims came from one of the four guns used by the two teen gunmen. Columbine students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold attacked their school with guns and bombs a year ago today. They killed 13 people and injured more than 20 others, then took their own lives. Several of the lawsuits filed Wednesday allege that the sheriff's department could have prevented the Columbine tragedy if deputies had acted on reports before the rampage that Harris and Klebold were building pipe bombs, had guns and were threatening to kill people. The suits also accuse sheriff's officials of waiting outside the school for hours while they knew children were being slaughtered and wounded inside. "They knew the killers were shooting defenseless students and teachers, heard the screams ... and heard the gunshots, but made no effort to aid," one lawsuit stated. Among allegations in the lawsuits: That someone unnamed in the sheriff's office, a friend of Harris' father, Wayne Harris, terminated other officers' work on a search warrant for the Harris home. This was some 14 months before the Columbine shootings, when Wayne Harris allegedly found a pipe bomb made by his son and had exploded it in a field. That sheriff's investigators failed to follow up on numerous complaints by the family of student Brooks Brown that Harris was dangerous. The Browns gave sheriff's officers a hard copy of violent threats made on Harris' Web site. That sheriff's commanders ordered officers who had gone into the school to evacuate and forced hundreds of other officers and paramedics to remain outside for hours. That people trapped inside the school were ordered — some of them repeatedly, for hours — to stay where they were because help was on its way and would arrive within minutes, which wasn't true. That, although students and teachers in a science classroom with Sanders hung a sign in the window saying "1 BLEEDING TO DEATH" and repeatedly spoke by telephone with officials, their pleas for help were disregarded for hours. That Sanders easily could have been rescued through windows on two sides of the classroom. That, although officials knew for hours of Sanders' location and condition, he was the last person in the school reached by medical help. That a sharpshooter on the roof of a nearby house told officials at noon that he had a clear shot at Klebold through a library window, but was ordered not to fire. More lawsuits over the Columbine tragedy may be filed today as well as months from now. The families who sued Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone and his officers this week were meeting a one-year deadline for lawsuits against peace officers. Later legal deadlines apply to other government agencies or individuals. Contact Karen Abbott at (303) 892-5188 abbottk@RockyMountainNews.com. Staff writers Kevin Vaughan and Charley Able contributed to this report. April 20, 2000
Daniel Rohrbough's family states in a lawsuit that a deputy sheriff's bullet killed their son as he lay wounded on a sidewalk outside Columbine High School.
Teacher Dave Sanders' daughter charges that her father bled to death because officials refused for hours to rescue him, despite easy access to the classroom where he lay wounded. Authorities also refused to let others trapped with Sanders try to get him to safety on their own, she states.
Several families whose children died in the school library say their children could have escaped to safety through an exit door if a 911 operator had not ordered teacher Patti Nielson to keep them where they were as the teen gunmen approached.
Some families also allege that, 14 months before the attack, the father of one of the teen gunmen persuaded a friend in the Jefferson County sheriff's staff to prevent a search of his home for explosives.
The claims are outlined in a crush of lawsuits filed against the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday as lawyers raced to meet a one-year legal deadline for suits against peace officers.
The families of 14 people who were killed and injured in the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history brought 8 suits against the sheriff's office Wednesday. The family of a 15th casualty sued the office Tuesday.
Jefferson County Attorney Frank Hutfless issued a statement pronouncing the lawsuits without legal merit and vowing to defend them vigorously.
"We feel that further discussion of litigation is not appropriate during this week of remembrance," the statement said.
Stone issued a statement saying he would spend today "in quiet, respectful reverence" and would give no interviews "to honor the memory of those 12 students and a teacher who were so tragically killed."
"Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, both those murdered and those injured, the brave teachers, staff, students and all that have been affected," Stone's statement said.
Jim Rouse, attorney for the family of Dan Rohrbough, said the claim that a deputy's bullet killed the youth is based on eyewitness reports, the trajectory of the bullets shown in the autopsy report, other physical evidence and the way Daniel fell onto the sidewalk.
Rouse said one of the eyewitnesses was a Columbine teacher and the other was a law enforcement officer who doesn't work for Jefferson County.
Rouse said sheriff's investigators told Rohrbough's family the fatal bullet never was recovered.
The Rohrbaugh family claims the boy first was injured when one of the teen gunmen shot him in the leg, but he did not die of that wound.
Sheriff's officials consistently have denied that any "friendly fire" struck the Columbine victims, citing ballistics tests they said showed that every bullet and pellet fired at the victims came from one of the four guns used by the two teen gunmen.
Columbine students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold attacked their school with guns and bombs a year ago today. They killed 13 people and injured more than 20 others, then took their own lives.
Several of the lawsuits filed Wednesday allege that the sheriff's department could have prevented the Columbine tragedy if deputies had acted on reports before the rampage that Harris and Klebold were building pipe bombs, had guns and were threatening to kill people.
The suits also accuse sheriff's officials of waiting outside the school for hours while they knew children were being slaughtered and wounded inside.
"They knew the killers were shooting defenseless students and teachers, heard the screams ... and heard the gunshots, but made no effort to aid," one lawsuit stated.
Among allegations in the lawsuits:
More lawsuits over the Columbine tragedy may be filed today as well as months from now.
The families who sued Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone and his officers this week were meeting a one-year deadline for lawsuits against peace officers. Later legal deadlines apply to other government agencies or individuals.
Contact Karen Abbott at (303) 892-5188 abbottk@RockyMountainNews.com. Staff writers Kevin Vaughan and Charley Able contributed to this report.
April 20, 2000