Columbine victims | Injured 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Information about and experiences of
Columbine survivors who were injured during the high school shooting. Where possible, updates have been provided. Names contained within brackets [ ] indicate the victim didn't know the person but subsequent investigation has provided the identity of the individual.
Yearbook photos are used per Section 107 of the Fair Use Act.
Mark Kintgen, 17 in 1999.
After 2nd period Mark noticed the scrolling school message board, broadcast in various parts of the school, was spelling out a message that read: "Today is not a good day to be here". Mark didn't think much about the message until later, when the day turned tragic. Assigned to "B" lunch, Mark's 5th period was a free period for him and he usually spent it in the library. Tuesday the 20th was no exception. He arrived shortly before [
Valeen Schnurr] and sat at a table near the one where Val's friends were sitting. He was reading a magazine when he heard the first shots. He thought someone was hammering. However, as soon as [
Patti Nielson] came in and told everyone to get down, he immediately complied, realizing something serious was going on.
When the shooters entered the library and began to kill people Mark didn't see much from where he was hiding but he clearly heard one of them say after shots were fired: "Oh look at his brains!". Laughter from the killers followed. Not long after that he heard one of the two assailants shoot out a nearby glass display case. The gunman then went over to the table where Mark was hiding and shot at him. Mark took a bullet to the head and one to the shoulder.
Mark later remembered hearing a male voice asking someone: "Do you believe in God?". The next thing he remembered was waking up covered in splinters and being afraid that he was going to die. He saw Patti Blair, another student, get up from under another nearby table and he told her that he needed help but she didn't stop to assist him. He crawled out from under the table and followed her out of the library to the safety of the patrol cars positioned outside of the school.
The bullet in Mark's head was surgically removed. He was released from Denver Health April 23 with a bullet still lodged in his shoulder.
Mark suffers from cerebral palsy. He has a twin brother named Mike. Mark graduated from Columbine High School on May 20, 2000, and was planning to attend Arapahoe Community College. His mother, Kay, hopes that they will one day find closure.
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Lisa Kreutz, 18 in 1999.
Lisa usually would usually spend her "A" lunch period either in the library or going out to lunch with friends Jessica Holliday and Bethany Koch. In the library she would usually sit with Jessica,
Jeanna Park, and Diwata Perez on the east side of the library and that's what she did on the 20th. She joined Jessica, Jeanna, Diwata, and
Lauren Townsend. Soon after Lisa sat down Jessica went over to the computer lab portion of the library. About that time Lisa heard the first popping gunshots. She hid under the table she was at when
Patti Nielson came through and told the room to get down. Lisa was joined by her friends and another girl, [
Kelly Fleming].
When the shooters entered the library Lisa heard one say: "Are you still with me? We're still gonna do this, right?" They started yelling then and one said something about blowing up the library. She heard an explosion inside the library and then she heard one of the gunmen say that he hated the school and that the school had messed him up
The gunmen began shooting up the inside of the library, setting the fire alarm off. The girls pulled the chairs in closer to the table to hide behind but that didn't stop [
Dylan Klebold]. He fired his shotgun under their table. She was hit with several pellets, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to her shoulder, hand, and both arms. She heard [Eric] ask "Do you believe in God?" of
Valeen Schnurr, which occurred about the same time that [Dylan] fired again under the table where Lisa was still hiding. Lisa's right wrist was grazed by a stray bullet. She lay bleeding in the library for 2.5 hours, unable to move due to the severity of her injuries. She was eventually rescued by officials. She was the last survivor to be pulled from the library.
Lisa was released from the hospital April 28, 1999. She
graduated from Columbine High on May 23, 1999, and went on to the University of Colorado. She has never spoken publicly about what happened to her in the library on April 20, 1999.
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Lance Kirklin, 16 in 1999.
Lance had "A" Lunch with
Dan Rohrbough and
Sean Graves and, after arranging the lunch dishes as a centerpiece on his table, decided to go have a cigarette at "Smokers' Pit", an area at Clement Park where smokers would go in Leawood Park, across the street from the school.
The three boys left the cafeteria and headed up the grassy hill outside Columbine's east entrance. That's when the gunmen opened fire. Lance saw Dan get shot and attempted to catch him, only to be shot himself in the foot, legs, and chest. He saw Sean fall to the ground as well, then Lance himself went down.
A short while later, [
Dylan Klebold] came down the stairs and shot Lance at point-blank range in the face. Later Lance said he only remembered seeing blue sky above him but felt his face being jolted, and felt blood pool in his mouth. Just before he blacked out Lance saw Danny take his last breath.
Lance suffered from a total of five gunshot wounds, including one that severed an artery in his leg. His jaw and face were rebuilt with bone and tissue from his leg as well as titanium alloy to replace lost bone in his thigh and jaw. The process took 9 operations over the course of three years. He was due to have more, but procedure fatigue and the pending birth of his first child made him decide to quit in 2001. He still has a 9mm bullet lodged behind his left knee and three shotgun pellets in him, including one stuck in his ventricle.
He was released from the hospital on May 15, 1999. On May 21 he went with investigators to Columbine to do a walk-through of the crime scene in hopes of remembering more details about that tragic day. See the
sketch he did of one of the shooters for officials.
He returned to Columbine the next school year but was suspended due to sporadic attendance. Continues to
hunt with his dad Mike and spoke up for gun rights April 2000 at a Denver town meeting on guns attended by President Bill Clinton. He and his father moved into a new house with their new puppy 'Hunter'.
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Rocky Mountain PBS - Ripples of Columbine documentary video - interview with Lance Kirklin. Released April 18, 2019.
Letter from Lance Kirklin's family:
"Lance has worked hard to overcome adversity. He believes in treating others as he would want to be treated. He is sensitive, caring and able to put the needs of others before his own. Though he is unable to speak at this time due to the nature of his injuries, he has indicated tremendous sadness and concern for the others affected by this tragedy. Knowing Lance, he would want to be available to comfort others and is moved by the outpouring of love and support he has received.
We know that Lance has many challenges to address, and we count on and ask for your continued prayers and support in the months ahead for all students and families affected.
Lance is an outdoorsman and loves to fish. He likes the opportunity to be in the mountains with family and friends. We know that his sadness will be lightened when he is again able to go to the mountains.
On behalf of Lance, we would like to thank all involved in Lance's rescue, Littleton and other communities throughout Colorado, across the country and worldwide for their prayers, support and love extended to Lance and his family. Especially all Lance's family in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, we appreciate your prayers and love. We would also like to thank Denver Health administrators, Surgical Intensive Care staff, Emergency Department staff, surgeons and everyone for caring for Lance and our family."
Dawn, Mike, and Amanda Kirklin
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Jeanna Park, 18 in 1999.
Jeanna was hiding under the table with
Lauren Townsend,
Lisa Kreutz, Diwata Perez, [
Kelly Fleming], and
Valeen Schnurr when the shooters entered the library. Earlier she had seen Dylan Klebold run by the library window carrying a big gun but she couldn't see who it was who had entered the library at the time the shooting began since she was hiding, like the teacher had instructed. She heard the gunmen make a racial comment and joke about how they'd always wanted to do this. She heard them yelling and heard one of them [
Eric Harris] shoot at some bookshelves and thought some people were being shot, but couldn't see what was going on from under the table. At one point she tried to leave her hiding place to reach her Freshman sister Kathy, who was over by the computer tables when the students were told to get down by [
Patti Nielson]. Diwata Perez held her back, telling her that Jessica Holliday was over there with her and would take care of her.
When Valeen was flushed out from under the table she heard one of the gunmen ask her if she believed in god and later told investigators she knew it wasn't
Dylan Klebold because she knew his voice from sharing a class with him before. There was a moment of silence afterward and Val crawled back under the table. Immediately the shooting resumed and Jeanna was shot from behind. She was hit in the right knee, right shoulder and left foot, and fell to the floor where she stayed until she noticed some of the other people in the library getting up and leaving. She went to leave as well, checking the computer tables for her sister. Not seeing her, Jeanna left alone.
She was released from the hospital April 26, 1999. Jeanna returned to Columbine when she was well enough and
graduated with honors May 23, 1999.
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