People are left with two questions: What kind of kids could commit such a crime?  And where were the kids' parents?

The killers were Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. Police and journalists interviewed people who knew them.  The teens were seniors at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.  They did things many other teens do.  They went to prom.  They played video games.  They listened to popular music.  They were smart students who got good grades in school.  They worked at a local pizza place.  They hung out at the bowling alley.

But Klebold and Harris were also different than other teens.  When they were young, friends say they played sports and were popular.  As they got older, they didn't fit in with their classmates as much.  They became fascinated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.  Hitler and the Nazis were responsible for the holocaust during WWII, in which millions of Jews were killed and tortured.  The boys planned to attack their school on Hitler's birthday.

Klebold and Harris also became obsessed with killing and death.  Harris had a Web page that had pictures of skulls and guns.  It had messages such as, "I hate you," "Doom will become reality," and, "Kill 'em all."  The Web page explained how to make bombs.  The teens also played violent video games.


Calls for Help

It is impossible to say what made Klebold and Harris kill their classmates and themselves.  Their friends say the two often felt left out.  They were different from their classmates.  People often made fun of them.  It is possible that these feelings plus a fascination with violence led to the tragedy.

Friends and teachers also say the teens made a violent video for a class project.  The video showed people in trench coats shooting people in a school.  Another classmate says the teens threatened him with a knife weeks before the killing spree.

So why didn't someone realize the teens needed help?  One parent did something.  The father of one of Harris' classmates called the police.  The father printed all 14 pages of Harris’ Web page and gave it to police.  The police didn't do anything about it.

Klebold and Harris' parents apologized for their sons' actions.  Klebold's father was surprised at his son's behavior.  He said his son was "normal" and also his best friend.  Both teens' parents are married and have good jobs.  They live in nice homes.  Police say the parents did not know their sons were planning the killing spree.
Are Parents at Fault?

Colorado could sue the teens' parents for not supervising them closely enough.  Even the governor of Colorado said there were many signs of what the teens were planning.  When the police searched the teens' rooms they found bomb-making materials and a shotgun.  The weapons were in plain sight.  They were not hidden.  Also, neighbors said they heard the teens making noise in the Harris garage the weekend before the killings.

Others say that once children become teens, parents can't always control them.  Teens have their own ideas.  They can do things their parents can't control.  Colorado has not yet decided if it will penalize Klebold and Harris' parents for their sons' actions.