Frank DeAngelis was one of those residents of Littleton, the town where 13 innocent victims lost their lives at the hands of two of their fellow students in 1999. A witness to the crime as it unfolded, the former principal of Columbine High School was a guest of Ryan Tubridy [September 6]. And, in an extraordinary and extended interview, he spoke about the morning of the tragedy and how he first became aware that something horrific was unfolding.
“All of a sudden, my secretary runs in and she pounds on the door and said there had been a report of gunfire. I’m thinking, 'this can’t be happening. This has to be a joke, a senior prank. This is a high school where there is a lot of parental involvement, where 95% of our students graduate on time, where 85% % go on to college.'”
At this stage, Frank had been at the school 20 years, and regarded the students, parents and his colleagues as “a second family." He managed to escape the shooting, escorting a number of his female students off the premises, before being prevented from re-entering the school by police. And as the afternoon went by, the devastating reality became clear.
12 students murdered. One teacher. And suicide by the two killers.
“I made a promise on April 20, 1999, there is nothing I can do to bring those kids back. I made a promise I will do everything in my power for the rest of my life to go out and speak, and to stop some of the senseless death from occurring.”
Listen to Frank DeAngelis's full interview on the Ryan Tubridy show here:
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Frank now travels the world trying to prevent another massacre such as Columbine, by addressing the psychology that motivates potential killers and to stop them in their tracks before they explode into action.
But on the two Columbine gunmen, Eric David Harris and Dylan Klebold , his comments were particularly eerie.
The perception of these two was of students that were outcasts, at risk, disenfranchised. That is the furthest thing from the truth. These were two educated young men, calculated killers. They were smart, they were in advanced level classes.
Unfortunately, says Frank, that constant touring and promotion of these issues has a downside. As the names of the victims slip into obscurity, the names of the killers are widely known. Their dream of living beyond the grave is being realised.
“It was very difficult because they were my kids. They were kids that were in Columbine from the ninth grade on… The two that were responsible were my students, my kids.”
Frank DeAngelis will be a guest speaker at a public event centred around adolescent mental health in Dublin’s Mansion House on Wednesday 14 September. The event is hosted by Jigsaw: The National Centre for Youth Mental Health.
Ryan’s interview with Frank DeAngelis is, without question, one of the most powerful you will hear on radio this or any week. Click here to hear it in full from The Ryan Tubridy Show.
And for more Radio 1 Highlights, click here.
