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In the recorded phone call between Patti Nielsen and Jefferson County Dispatch, there was a lot of chaos in the background. Several other calls with other operators made it onto the recording. The transcript below is just the words spoken by Patti and the dispatcher (Renee Napoli) she was talking to.
Dispatcher: Jefferson County 911.
Patti: Yes. I am a teacher at Columbine High School. There is a student here with a gun. He has shot out a window. I believe one student— uh...um...um...I've been— I don't know if it's...I don't know what's in my shoulder, if it was just some glass that went through it or what.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I am--
Dispatcher: Has anyone been injured, ma'am?
Patti: Yes! Yes!
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: ..and the school is in a panic and I'm in the library. I've got— Students down! Under the tables, kids!! Heads under the tables!! Um, kids are screaming, the teachers, um, are, y'know, trying to take control of things. We need police here. We need—
Dispatcher: OK, we're getting them there.
Patti: Can you please hurry?
Dispatcher: Who is the student, ma'am?
Patti: I do not know who the student is.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I saw a student outside, I was in the hall— [sound of shots nearby in the hall] Oh, dear God! Okay! I was on hall duty, I saw a gun. I said "What's going on out there?" and the kid that was following me said it was a film production, probably a joke, and I said "Well, I don't think that's a good idea." and I went walking outside to see what was going on. He pointed the gun straight at us and shot and, my God! The window went out and the kid standing there with me, I think he got hit.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I have something in my shoulder.
Dispatcher: Okay. We've got help on the way, ma'am.
Patti: Okay. [a loud explosion from the hall] OH, God! Dispatcher: Stay on the line with me.
Patti: Oh, God! ..Kids, just stay down!
Dispatcher: Do we know where he's at?
Patti: I'm sorry?
Dispatcher: Do we know where he's at?
Patti: Okay. I'm in the library. He's upstairs. He's right outside of here.
Dispatcher: He's outside?
Patti: He's outside of this hall.
Dispatcher: Outside of the hall or outside—
Patti: He's in the hall. I'm sorry. There are alarms and things going off... There's smoke... My God, smoke is, like, coming into this room.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I've got the kids under tables here. I don't know what's happening in the rest of the building. I don't know— I'm sure someone else is calling 911.
Dispatcher: Yes, we've got a lot of people on... Okay. I just want you to stay on the line with me, I need to know what's going on.
Patti: Okay.
Dispatcher: Okay?
Patti: I am on the floor.
Dispatcher: Okay. You've got the kids there?
Patti: Okay? In the library. And I've got every student in the library— ON THE FLOOR! You guys STAY ON THE FLOOR!
Dispatcher: Is there any way you can lock the doors?
Patti: Um, smoke is coming in from out there and I'm a little— [More shots, louder this time] The gun is right outside the library door, okay? I don't think I'm going to go out there. Okay? I've got— I've got three children—
Dispatcher: Okay. We've got it.
Patti: Okay. Um. I'm not going to go to the door. He just shot toward the door. I've got the kids on the floor, um. I got all the kids in the library on the—
Patti: Okay. Okay.
Patti: Is there any— I um— I mean— He's— I can't believe he's not out of bullets! He just keeps shooting and shooting and shooting!
Dispatcher: Okay. We've got a police officer on scene—
Patti: I talked to him. I thought it was—
Dispatcher: Okay. Just try and keep the kids in the library calm.
Patti: Yeah.
Dispatcher: Is there any way you can block the door so no one can get in?
Patti: I— I do not—
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I— Yeah. I guess I can try to go, but, I mean like, he's right outside that door. I'm afraid to go to the door.
Dispatcher: That's okay.
Patti: That's where he is. I'm afraid to go there.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: Okay. I told the kids to get on the floor. I told them to get under the tables. All of the children are on the floor, under the tables. Um... um... yeah. They're all under the tables.
Dispatcher: Okay. As long as we can just try and keep—
Patti: And I just wanted everyone to keep calm. No one's saying a word.
Dispatcher: Okay. As long as we can keep everyone there as calm as we can--
Patti: I hear some yelling out there going on right now.
Dispatcher: Yeah, we've got alarms going off now as well.
Patti: Yeah, there's alarms... this room is filled with smoke.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: Okay.
Dispatcher: Keep everyone low to the floor.
Patti: Yeah. Yeah. Everyone's...yeah. Everyone stay on the floor! Stay on the floor. Stay under the tables. Um... I... I don't know. I—
Dispatcher: Okay, I know. Just—
Patti: I don't know. I didn't.. I said "What— what has that kid got?" He was outside at the time. And— and— and— um... I was on hall duty. [Explosion] Oh, God! Um. He— he was crying, he was, like, going: "Woo-hoo-hoo!"
Dispatcher: I know.
Patti: —are getting shot off. I do not know who the student was. I don't think I even saw him— he was wearing black. He looked very large. Um. Male student. Um.. He was out there shooting. [Another explosion] It looked like he was climbing out shooting and somebody— I said "What is that?". [Another explosion]
Dispatcher: Mm-hmm.
Patti: I said "What's going on out there?" It's probably a cap gun. Probably a video production, you know, they do these videos...
Dispatcher: Right.
Patti: And the kids... Well. That's not, you know, a play gun, a real gun... I was goin' out there to say "No.". And I went— [Another explosion, very loud] Oh, my God!! That was really close! That just rattled me.
Dispatcher: Okay.
One of the shooters: GET UP!!! [Another shot]
Patti: [whispering] Oh, God. I'm really... frightened. [More shots, extremely close] I think he's in the library.
Dispatcher: What's your name, ma'am?
Patti: [whispering] My name is Patti.
Eric Harris can be heard in the background: Everybody get up! NOW!
Dispatcher: Patti?
Patti: [whispering] He's yelling "Everybody get up" right now. [More shots] He's in the library. He's shooting at everybody.
More shots could be heard in the library.
Dispatcher: Okay. [Then, to her coworkers] I have him in the library shooting at students and the lady that I have in the library on the phone.
Eric Harris: Stand up right NOW! Or we'll blow your fucking heads off!
Dispatcher [to Patti]: Okay. Try to keep as many people down as you can.
Rapid-fire gunshots and dispatch noise drown out Patti's whispered words.
Dispatcher: Do you know who he is?
Patti's words are lost in the chaos and gunfire.
Dispatcher: Jefferson County 911.
Patti: Yes. I am a teacher at Columbine High School. There is a student here with a gun. He has shot out a window. I believe one student— uh...um...um...I've been— I don't know if it's...I don't know what's in my shoulder, if it was just some glass that went through it or what.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I am--
Dispatcher: Has anyone been injured, ma'am?
Patti: Yes! Yes!
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: ..and the school is in a panic and I'm in the library. I've got— Students down! Under the tables, kids!! Heads under the tables!! Um, kids are screaming, the teachers, um, are, y'know, trying to take control of things. We need police here. We need—
Dispatcher: OK, we're getting them there.
Patti: Can you please hurry?
Dispatcher: Who is the student, ma'am?
Patti: I do not know who the student is.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I saw a student outside, I was in the hall— [sound of shots nearby in the hall] Oh, dear God! Okay! I was on hall duty, I saw a gun. I said "What's going on out there?" and the kid that was following me said it was a film production, probably a joke, and I said "Well, I don't think that's a good idea." and I went walking outside to see what was going on. He pointed the gun straight at us and shot and, my God! The window went out and the kid standing there with me, I think he got hit.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I have something in my shoulder.
Dispatcher: Okay. We've got help on the way, ma'am.
Patti: Okay. [a loud explosion from the hall] OH, God! Dispatcher: Stay on the line with me.
Patti: Oh, God! ..Kids, just stay down!
Dispatcher: Do we know where he's at?
Patti: I'm sorry?
Dispatcher: Do we know where he's at?
Patti: Okay. I'm in the library. He's upstairs. He's right outside of here.
Dispatcher: He's outside?
Patti: He's outside of this hall.
Dispatcher: Outside of the hall or outside—
Patti: He's in the hall. I'm sorry. There are alarms and things going off... There's smoke... My God, smoke is, like, coming into this room.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I've got the kids under tables here. I don't know what's happening in the rest of the building. I don't know— I'm sure someone else is calling 911.
Dispatcher: Yes, we've got a lot of people on... Okay. I just want you to stay on the line with me, I need to know what's going on.
Patti: Okay.
Dispatcher: Okay?
Patti: I am on the floor.
Dispatcher: Okay. You've got the kids there?
Patti: Okay? In the library. And I've got every student in the library— ON THE FLOOR! You guys STAY ON THE FLOOR!
Dispatcher: Is there any way you can lock the doors?
Patti: Um, smoke is coming in from out there and I'm a little— [More shots, louder this time] The gun is right outside the library door, okay? I don't think I'm going to go out there. Okay? I've got— I've got three children—
Dispatcher: Okay. We've got it.
Patti: Okay. Um. I'm not going to go to the door. He just shot toward the door. I've got the kids on the floor, um. I got all the kids in the library on the—
Patti: Okay. Okay.
Patti: Is there any— I um— I mean— He's— I can't believe he's not out of bullets! He just keeps shooting and shooting and shooting!
Dispatcher: Okay. We've got a police officer on scene—
Patti: I talked to him. I thought it was—
Dispatcher: Okay. Just try and keep the kids in the library calm.
Patti: Yeah.
Dispatcher: Is there any way you can block the door so no one can get in?
Patti: I— I do not—
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: I— Yeah. I guess I can try to go, but, I mean like, he's right outside that door. I'm afraid to go to the door.
Dispatcher: That's okay.
Patti: That's where he is. I'm afraid to go there.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: Okay. I told the kids to get on the floor. I told them to get under the tables. All of the children are on the floor, under the tables. Um... um... yeah. They're all under the tables.
Dispatcher: Okay. As long as we can just try and keep—
Patti: And I just wanted everyone to keep calm. No one's saying a word.
Dispatcher: Okay. As long as we can keep everyone there as calm as we can--
Patti: I hear some yelling out there going on right now.
Dispatcher: Yeah, we've got alarms going off now as well.
Patti: Yeah, there's alarms... this room is filled with smoke.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Patti: Okay.
Dispatcher: Keep everyone low to the floor.
Patti: Yeah. Yeah. Everyone's...yeah. Everyone stay on the floor! Stay on the floor. Stay under the tables. Um... I... I don't know. I—
Dispatcher: Okay, I know. Just—
Patti: I don't know. I didn't.. I said "What— what has that kid got?" He was outside at the time. And— and— and— um... I was on hall duty. [Explosion] Oh, God! Um. He— he was crying, he was, like, going: "Woo-hoo-hoo!"
Dispatcher: I know.
Patti: —are getting shot off. I do not know who the student was. I don't think I even saw him— he was wearing black. He looked very large. Um. Male student. Um.. He was out there shooting. [Another explosion] It looked like he was climbing out shooting and somebody— I said "What is that?". [Another explosion]
Dispatcher: Mm-hmm.
Patti: I said "What's going on out there?" It's probably a cap gun. Probably a video production, you know, they do these videos...
Dispatcher: Right.
Patti: And the kids... Well. That's not, you know, a play gun, a real gun... I was goin' out there to say "No.". And I went— [Another explosion, very loud] Oh, my God!! That was really close! That just rattled me.
Dispatcher: Okay.
One of the shooters: GET UP!!! [Another shot]
Patti: [whispering] Oh, God. I'm really... frightened. [More shots, extremely close] I think he's in the library.
Dispatcher: What's your name, ma'am?
Patti: [whispering] My name is Patti.
Eric Harris can be heard in the background: Everybody get up! NOW!
Dispatcher: Patti?
Patti: [whispering] He's yelling "Everybody get up" right now. [More shots] He's in the library. He's shooting at everybody.
More shots could be heard in the library.
Dispatcher: Okay. [Then, to her coworkers] I have him in the library shooting at students and the lady that I have in the library on the phone.
Eric Harris: Stand up right NOW! Or we'll blow your fucking heads off!
Dispatcher [to Patti]: Okay. Try to keep as many people down as you can.
Rapid-fire gunshots and dispatch noise drown out Patti's whispered words.
Dispatcher: Do you know who he is?
Patti's words are lost in the chaos and gunfire.