Thanks for coming, she said. But rather than moving forward, he was a slave to deepening resentment and anger and some have concluded, Harris evolved into a psychopath fixated on mass destruction. "My finding was they are by and large good people who are as shocked by this as anyone else.". He is a retired Air Force major and sounded like one, careful and precise in his language. Prof Solomon points to the treatment of the mother of Adam Lanza. Eric's parents knew their son was no angel he broke into a van, he was found making pipe bombs and setting them off for fun and they took steps to address this. He was enrolled in a. Shyamala Gopalans family in Chennai was progressive by South Asian standards. Shortly before the murders, Kathy had picked out Erics graduation cake: yellow, with chocolate frosting. Wayne & Kathy Harris are the parents of infamous Columbine HS shooter, Eric Harris. Psychiatrists say that the rationale for murder-suicides, including those with multiple victims, remains largely "inexplicable". His mother, Katherine Ann Poole, was a homemaker. Stone said Wayne was a good father who installed a basketball net by the driveway and then he would be out there playing with his boys. Stone said stay-at-home mother Kathy was always friendly.. I feel like somethings gonna happen. And I said, Dont think like that. They were released a month early from program in February 1999 only two months before their rampage. She wants rigorous questioning, either from reporters or experts who have studied the case. Within an hour, 18-year-old Harris and his 17-year-old partner Dylan Klebold a fellow Columbine High School student and Brown's friend since first grade were dead. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. So many rumours, maybe Eric's dad as a military, was harsh and strict, shouted at him, as some has speculated. They shared that perception with the Mausers. Wayne Harris not only took his sons side, but alleged that Brown was the problem and Eric an innocent. Both received glowing reports at the end of the program with Harris being called "a bright young man who is likely to succeed in life," according to an article in The Christian Science Monitor. The Lubitz parents had already angered victims' families by taking out an advert paying tribute to their son on the first anniversary of the crash. The Harris family moved to Littleton, Colorado, in 1993, after his father retired from the military. According to . Professor Aubrey Immelman published a personality profile of Harris, based on journal entries and personal communication. Possibly adding fuel to his existing rage, Harris had been rejected by the U.S. Marine Corps shortly before the killings because of his psychiatric medication. All Rights Reserved. He Got married i'm so happy for him and wow! Moved to Littleton, Colorado from Plattsburgh, New York in July of 1993. No, they had never beaten Eric, the Harrises said, or been cruel to him. At one point, the father records that his son would like to talk to an accuser face to face, "with an adult present." I always thought they were a wonderful family I know the parents are just devastated over the whole thing, he told a reporter, referring to the Columbine massacre. What drives individuals to commit mass killings? Approximately 10 years and four months after Eric Harris murdered their child, Linda and Tom drove into Denver to greet his parents. Kathy cried several times and repeated how sorry she was this all happened. 48 Hours Suspicion: The Ambush of Kevin Harris chronicles this incredibly heart-wrenching story and reveals how his parents could do nothing but watch even as they could sense that something was going on with their son. Would she offer forgiveness? In writing he did as high school English assignments, he described the schools, the friends he made, the fun he had and then the sadness and anger when hed lose those friends to another move. Schools around the country tried to figure what they would do during such an emergency and to identify and care for potentially violent students. Tragically, Harris and Klebold have served as an example often cited by other young school shooters who followed in their wake, including the 2007 Virginia Tech killer Seung-Hui Cho. Yesterday, the Harrises and Klebolds said that they would not challenge the sheriff's decision to release the documents. Linda had been struggling with grief since Daniels murder, but recently made a breakthrough in therapy: She began telling people what she really thought. The family moved from state to state, city to city before Eric reached high. In 1995, Harris enrolled at the Columbine High School as a freshman. DeSantis won't say he's running. In a 2004 interview, former Harris family neighbor from Oscoda, Michigan, the Rev. What do you think about when you look at the sky at night, when there's no clouds out and you can see all the stars? While Harris was talkative and volatile, Klebold was shy and reserved. Kevin Harris The two would become close friends. Every time I lost one I went through the worst days of my life . He was taking Luvox for his depression. He murdered 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut in 2012, but also shot his mother Nancy dead before the attack. So there was nothing to learn from this? I have the most memories from there. It was hard to conceive of them as individuals before, as ordinary human beings. In 1983, the Harris family settled in Dayton, Ohio. I want to leave a lasting impression on the world. Returning to the library, where they had killed and wounded several people, Harris shot himself in the head as did Klebold a few moments later. Hes told not yet, police are still looking for the suspects. It angered him. Curious to know more about Kevins parents? We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Their teenage son, along with his classmate Dylan Klebold, killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999. He suggests she likely assumed it was a BB gun. Best Known For: Eric Harris, along with Dylan Klebold, shot and killed 13 people and injured 20 at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. He kissed me on my left cheek, Katheryn told 48 Hours. He hugged me. Senior year, Kathy was distressed about Erics lack of college or career plans. Three years older than Eric, when the family arrived in Colorado, Kevin enrolled at Columbine. Why do they think it happened? Her father and mother came from Jamaica and India respectively to study in the US back in the 60s, connecting at a black study group that would become the Afro American Association a building block for the Black Panther Party and the American civil rights movement. They found explosives. There was one odd incident where he slammed his fist into a brick wall and scraped his knuckles. Just imagine being in their situation. Harris Sr. lived most of his life away from his family, going on to become an emeritus professor of economics at Stanford. The Harrises greeted them with a basket of flowers. Was scheduled to graduate from Columbine High School on May 23, 1999. In 1983, Wayne and Kathy and their sons, Kevin, then 5, and Eric, moved to Beavercreek, Ohio, where Harris flew for the 4952nd Test Squadron at Wright Air Force Base. Kathy shared lots of loving stories about Eric. Jo mamma has said the word carrot so many times, that she is very good at pronouncing it! A strong student, Harris earned good grades, but his schoolwork often featured violent imagery and gory details. In 1999 two teenagers went on a shooting spree at Columbine High School in the US state of Colorado, killing 12 students and one teacher. What Im looking for, from both families, is transparency, she says. I found them kind of incurious, Linda said. After speaking at the study group, Harris Sr. was approached by a young Indian scientist named Shyamala Gopalan. He had a history of severe anger problems and was ordered to attend anger management classes by a court after being arrested. Harris and Klebold planned on shooting people as they entered the parking lot. Intelligent, Klebold was in a program for gifted students at his. Eric Harris was born to parents Wayne Harris and Katherine Kathy Poole Harris in Wichita, Kansas in 1981. They were into computers, video production and had a fascination with firearms, violent video games and as part of the Trench Coat Mafia gang, unhealthy preoccupation with Hitler. Did Kathy and Wayne Harris suspect their son was a mass murderer in the making? ", Jens Breivik, whose estranged son Anders Breivik murdered 77 people in Norway in 2011, admitted to the Guardian that: "In the first few weeks, I thought seriously of taking my own life.". Ultimately, the family put down roots in Littleton, Colorado when Harris' father retired in 1993. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake, What we've learned from Alex Murdaugh murder trial. Source: Kamala Harris. The site was filled with violent tirades against anyone and everyone that Harris disliked or thought had done him wrong. Harris and Klebold committed suicide by shooting themselves in the head in the school library. Harris was born on April 9, 1981, in Wichita, Kansas. "They're unable to see their child in the light in which they previously had.". The meeting took years to arrange. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Wayne & Kathy Harris are the parents of infamous Columbine HS shooter, Eric Harris. The best thing for them, though, was that even after he grew up, Kevin still remained a mamas boy. At the age of 21, he worked, attended college, and was a rising music producer, but he still lived at home to be with them. Family Life The Harris family consisted of Wayne, Katherine (Kathy) and their two sons Kevin and Eric. The decision galvanised an ongoing debate about the culpability of parents. The Harris were a middle class military family, nomads for years. The loving couple and South Los Angeles natives had done everything that they could to prepare their son for life as an adult. Kathy was shy, but forthcoming once she got going. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. As the son of an Air Force pilot, Harris had moved around fairly often as a child. After graduating, he attended studied kinesiology at the University of Colorado, After graduating from college, he followed in his fathers footsteps and joined the military, albeit the Army and while enlisted, got his masters degree. That approach failed. Official Sites, Killed twelve students and one teacher with. Wayne Harris kept a diary in a steno notebook. Linda noticed the red toenail polish. Lamb remembers the details of the emotionally charged moment. Wayne worked as a transport pilot for the United States Air Force, while Katherine Ann was a homemaker. And he spoke about carrying a bag, his terrorist bag, with a shotgun jutting out of the gym bag and his mother Kathy seeing it and saying nothing. Kriti Mehrotra. 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