ABSTRACT
Approaching the end of the school year in April, 1999, it appeared as if the year would end with an all-time low number of student deaths. The tragic incident at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, changed that. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold brought an arsenal of weapons to the school, walked down the hallways into the cafeteria and the library, shooting students in a hail of gunfire. At least 20 students were injured and 13 killed before they turned their guns on themselves. The 15 deaths at Columbine brought the total number of students killed in that school year to 26. The fact that the total number of school-associated deaths in 1998-1999 was still smaller than most previous years was no source of comfort.
