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Killers made contacts who helped them with guns, explosives they used in school attack
By Peggy LoweDenver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
They drank beer and shot bottle rockets from the roof. They blew up dry ice bombs, put on fireworks shows and played the video game Doom. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold held the kind of part-time jobs at Blackjack Pizza that many teen-agers dream about. But in addition to fooling around, the pair finalized the vital connections they would need to carry out their doomsday plan. At the store at 6657 W. Ottawa in Littleton, Harris and Klebold found a gun dealer, pyrotechnics know-how and an owner who allowed them literally to play with fire. Columbine High police reports released Tuesday include 26 interviews with former and present Blackjack Pizza employees. Many workers told police that former owner Bob Kirgis "partied" with Harris and Klebold, occasionally sitting on the pizza store's roof drinking beer with them and shooting off bottle rockets. Kirgis also allowed them to play with more powerful explosives, workers said. Harris and Klebold regularly told other employees that they hated the jocks who picked on them and that they planned to blow up their school on April 20. Several workers told investigators that Harris and Klebold approached several people wanting to buy a Tec-9 assault pistol. They finally found fellow employee Mark Manes, who introduced them to Phil Duran. Manes also helped the killers buy their ammunition at a local K-Mart the night before the attack. Pizza delivery driver James Thornby told investigators that Harris outlined his plot, including the 30 propane tanks he would need by April 20. Harris told him he needed a gun and that he knew how to make bombs from the Anarchist's Cookbook, a manual for making explosives. "He said he wanted to blow up the school but he didn't say he was gonna do it," Thornby said. "I just thought he was like, you know, someone pissed off talking." Michelle Hartsough, a friend and co-worker, told investigators that she had learned a lot from her father, a pyrotechnics expert. Hartsough showed Harris and Klebold how to remove "black," or explosive powder, from fireworks and use it for other pyrotechnics effects, she said. Littleton fire officials have said some of the killers' many bombs were made from fireworks explosives. For a year, Hartsough listened to the boy's tales of killing the jocks but said she never took them seriously. "She said they both talked about a senior prank that was going to take place April 20, 1999," the report said. When the kids were bored, they would buy dry ice at the nearby Baskin-Robbins ice cream store and make little bombs they detonated behind the Blackjack. Harris used fireworks to build a "trip-wire bomb" to keep kids from going through a hole in the fence. Klebold was once briefly fired for bringing a pipe bomb to work, the report said. He was hired back when the owner needed workers. The pizza store is now owned by Chris Lau, 35. He described Harris as his best employee and promoted him to shift manager on April 16, an act that appeared to please Harris, Lau said. That same day, Lau gave Harris and Klebold the cash advances they requested, handing $200 to Harris and $120 to Klebold. Kirgis, now 30, sold the store on March 8, 1999, about a month before the attack. Described by the new owners as "a mess," Kirgis told investigators he sometimes drank at work and left Harris in charge. At least twice, Kirgis let Harris and Klebold set fire to aerosolcans, once in a mop sink and another time in an oven, workers reported. Harris and Klebold were constantly playing with fire behind the store, once allowing a blaze in a dumpster to grow out of control. The fire department responded. In April 1997, Harris brought a pipe bomb to work and said he wanted to ignite it inside a watermelon in a nearby field. "Check out this pipe bomb," Kirgis remembered Harris saying. When asked why he didn't call police, Kirgis said he didn't want any trouble. "But hindsight being 20/20, I would now," he said. Contact Peggy Lowe at (303) 892-5482 or lowep@RockyMountainNews.com. November 22, 2000
They drank beer and shot bottle rockets from the roof. They blew up dry ice bombs, put on fireworks shows and played the video game Doom.
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold held the kind of part-time jobs at Blackjack Pizza that many teen-agers dream about.
But in addition to fooling around, the pair finalized the vital connections they would need to carry out their doomsday plan.
At the store at 6657 W. Ottawa in Littleton, Harris and Klebold found a gun dealer, pyrotechnics know-how and an owner who allowed them literally to play with fire.
Columbine High police reports released Tuesday include 26 interviews with former and present Blackjack Pizza employees.
Many workers told police that former owner Bob Kirgis "partied" with Harris and Klebold, occasionally sitting on the pizza store's roof drinking beer with them and shooting off bottle rockets. Kirgis also allowed them to play with more powerful explosives, workers said.
Harris and Klebold regularly told other employees that they hated the jocks who picked on them and that they planned to blow up their school on April 20.
Several workers told investigators that Harris and Klebold approached several people wanting to buy a Tec-9 assault pistol. They finally found fellow employee Mark Manes, who introduced them to Phil Duran. Manes also helped the killers buy their ammunition at a local K-Mart the night before the attack.
Pizza delivery driver James Thornby told investigators that Harris outlined his plot, including the 30 propane tanks he would need by April 20. Harris told him he needed a gun and that he knew how to make bombs from the Anarchist's Cookbook, a manual for making explosives.
"He said he wanted to blow up the school but he didn't say he was gonna do it," Thornby said. "I just thought he was like, you know, someone pissed off talking."
Michelle Hartsough, a friend and co-worker, told investigators that she had learned a lot from her father, a pyrotechnics expert.
Hartsough showed Harris and Klebold how to remove "black," or explosive powder, from fireworks and use it for other pyrotechnics effects, she said. Littleton fire officials have said some of the killers' many bombs were made from fireworks explosives.
For a year, Hartsough listened to the boy's tales of killing the jocks but said she never took them seriously.
"She said they both talked about a senior prank that was going to take place April 20, 1999," the report said.
When the kids were bored, they would buy dry ice at the nearby Baskin-Robbins ice cream store and make little bombs they detonated behind the Blackjack. Harris used fireworks to build a "trip-wire bomb" to keep kids from going through a hole in the fence.
Klebold was once briefly fired for bringing a pipe bomb to work, the report said. He was hired back when the owner needed workers.
The pizza store is now owned by Chris Lau, 35. He described Harris as his best employee and promoted him to shift manager on April 16, an act that appeared to please Harris, Lau said.
That same day, Lau gave Harris and Klebold the cash advances they requested, handing $200 to Harris and $120 to Klebold.
Kirgis, now 30, sold the store on March 8, 1999, about a month before the attack. Described by the new owners as "a mess," Kirgis told investigators he sometimes drank at work and left Harris in charge.
At least twice, Kirgis let Harris and Klebold set fire to aerosolcans, once in a mop sink and another time in an oven, workers reported. Harris and Klebold were constantly playing with fire behind the store, once allowing a blaze in a dumpster to grow out of control. The fire department responded.
In April 1997, Harris brought a pipe bomb to work and said he wanted to ignite it inside a watermelon in a nearby field.
"Check out this pipe bomb," Kirgis remembered Harris saying.
When asked why he didn't call police, Kirgis said he didn't want any trouble.
"But hindsight being 20/20, I would now," he said.
Contact Peggy Lowe at (303) 892-5482 or lowep@RockyMountainNews.com.
November 22, 2000
