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American Morning

Crime Scene Evidence From Columbine Massacre on Public Display

Aired February 26, 2004 - 07:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Gruesome crime scene evidence from the Columbine massacre on public display today for the first time. The victims' families spent more than two mostly silent hours yesterday looking over the artifacts from the deaths of 12 students and a teacher back in April of 1999.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just amazing, all that stuff that they brought into that school, the ammo, the bombs, the gasolines. It's amazing how those two kids could get all that without -- in the school without being noticed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And look at the damage that was done by these two killers. It's unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Rachel Scott was among those killed in the Columbine high school massacre.

A bit earlier today, I talked with her father, Darrell Scott, asking him if he learned anything new yesterday from viewing that evidence that he did not already know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARRELL SCOTT, FATHER OF COLUMBINE VICTIM: I don't know that I learned a lot that was new, but I was overwhelmed by the number of bullet shells and the explosives that I saw. And one of the things I didn't know was that Eric and Dylan's car was just absolutely loaded with gas, with bombs, with other guns and with ammunition. And it's almost as though they had plans beyond Columbine. And I wasn't aware of that.

But we've, you know, we've read about the number of bullets. We've seen reports. But when you actually see the empty bullet shells and the guns and all of those things, it's, it's quite stunning.

HEMMER: Did you see the specific gun that killed your daughter?

SCOTT: Yes, I did.

HEMMER: How did that make you feel? What impact did that have?

SCOTT: Well, I keep hearing it. You know, it's an emotional moment when you're looking at a piece of metal that took your daughter's life. But the truth is, it wasn't the gun. It was the influence behind the gun. And it was the young man who chose to do this. And, you know, our focus around the country -- I speak all the time, five days a week, in high schools, middle schools -- and our focus is on the influences that were in Eric and Dylan's life and how we can make a difference in that area.

HEMMER: I also understand you learned a little more about the teacher, Dave Sanders. Do you want to relate to us what more you've learned about him? What is that?

SCOTT: Well, Dave Sanders is one of my heroes and will be until the day I die. He purposefully, deliberately walked right into the face of death, knowing that he was laying his life on the line. And I was -- it was just kind of stunning to see the picture. I had seen the video. But when they showed, they have the still photo of him purposefully going up the stairs to confront the boys while everybody else is running out of the building. And it just brought me to tears thinking about how this man so nobly laid his life down for his students.

HEMMER: Wow. I have heard from some other parents yesterday they were not completely satisfied with what they saw. There will be another opportunity today. You'll get the first glimpse at a report that's been put together by the attorney general in Colorado. '

What's expected in that report?

SCOTT: I honestly don't know. But I think the answers don't lie in the things that we looked at yesterday. I think they lie in some of the things that are sealed away from the public and perhaps in things that have been hidden, because all the families, pretty much unanimously, we feel that from the beginning, things were hidden from us. And I do applaud the new sheriff and the administration that's trying to get out as much as possible legally.

But there is things that are now legally sealed that we can't have access to and I think most of the answers lie in those areas.

HEMMER: This has consumed you, has it not? Five years running, almost.

SCOTT: Well, it's consumed me, and in some ways in a positive way, because we -- I travel and share Rachel's story. We have a non- violence program in the high schools and middle schools called Rachel's Challenge. And I'm out five days a week speaking to college kids, high school kids. And we've seen some very positive things happen.

So my daughter's death was not in vain. Her life was not in vain. And she is still having an impact on the lives of a lot of young people, as well as some of the other students who were killed and the teacher who was killed. Their lives go on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Darrell Scott from earlier today. Tomorrow, we'll talk to the attorney general in Colorado. That report that will be released later today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Display>


Aired February 26, 2004 - 07:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Gruesome crime scene evidence from the Columbine massacre on public display today for the first time. The victims' families spent more than two mostly silent hours yesterday looking over the artifacts from the deaths of 12 students and a teacher back in April of 1999.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just amazing, all that stuff that they brought into that school, the ammo, the bombs, the gasolines. It's amazing how those two kids could get all that without -- in the school without being noticed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And look at the damage that was done by these two killers. It's unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Rachel Scott was among those killed in the Columbine high school massacre.

A bit earlier today, I talked with her father, Darrell Scott, asking him if he learned anything new yesterday from viewing that evidence that he did not already know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARRELL SCOTT, FATHER OF COLUMBINE VICTIM: I don't know that I learned a lot that was new, but I was overwhelmed by the number of bullet shells and the explosives that I saw. And one of the things I didn't know was that Eric and Dylan's car was just absolutely loaded with gas, with bombs, with other guns and with ammunition. And it's almost as though they had plans beyond Columbine. And I wasn't aware of that.

But we've, you know, we've read about the number of bullets. We've seen reports. But when you actually see the empty bullet shells and the guns and all of those things, it's, it's quite stunning.

HEMMER: Did you see the specific gun that killed your daughter?

SCOTT: Yes, I did.

HEMMER: How did that make you feel? What impact did that have?

SCOTT: Well, I keep hearing it. You know, it's an emotional moment when you're looking at a piece of metal that took your daughter's life. But the truth is, it wasn't the gun. It was the influence behind the gun. And it was the young man who chose to do this. And, you know, our focus around the country -- I speak all the time, five days a week, in high schools, middle schools -- and our focus is on the influences that were in Eric and Dylan's life and how we can make a difference in that area.

HEMMER: I also understand you learned a little more about the teacher, Dave Sanders. Do you want to relate to us what more you've learned about him? What is that?

SCOTT: Well, Dave Sanders is one of my heroes and will be until the day I die. He purposefully, deliberately walked right into the face of death, knowing that he was laying his life on the line. And I was -- it was just kind of stunning to see the picture. I had seen the video. But when they showed, they have the still photo of him purposefully going up the stairs to confront the boys while everybody else is running out of the building. And it just brought me to tears thinking about how this man so nobly laid his life down for his students.

HEMMER: Wow. I have heard from some other parents yesterday they were not completely satisfied with what they saw. There will be another opportunity today. You'll get the first glimpse at a report that's been put together by the attorney general in Colorado. '

What's expected in that report?

SCOTT: I honestly don't know. But I think the answers don't lie in the things that we looked at yesterday. I think they lie in some of the things that are sealed away from the public and perhaps in things that have been hidden, because all the families, pretty much unanimously, we feel that from the beginning, things were hidden from us. And I do applaud the new sheriff and the administration that's trying to get out as much as possible legally.

But there is things that are now legally sealed that we can't have access to and I think most of the answers lie in those areas.

HEMMER: This has consumed you, has it not? Five years running, almost.

SCOTT: Well, it's consumed me, and in some ways in a positive way, because we -- I travel and share Rachel's story. We have a non- violence program in the high schools and middle schools called Rachel's Challenge. And I'm out five days a week speaking to college kids, high school kids. And we've seen some very positive things happen.

So my daughter's death was not in vain. Her life was not in vain. And she is still having an impact on the lives of a lot of young people, as well as some of the other students who were killed and the teacher who was killed. Their lives go on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Darrell Scott from earlier today. Tomorrow, we'll talk to the attorney general in Colorado. That report that will be released later today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Display>