This information has been gathered from news updates and the columbine report as well as interviews with the families. All information that has been gathered on the departed is presented below.

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Cassie Bernall

Born November 6, 1981
18 years old

A born-again Christian as of 1997, she was active in church youth programs and Bible study groups. Her parents called her "Bunny Rabbit" and said she loved to go rock climbing in Breckinridge. She had recently visited Great Britain and her favorite movie was 'Braveheart'.

For the longest time it was believed she was the girl in the library who was asked by one of the shooters: "Do you believe in God?" and was shot because she said "Yes". There is still controversy surrounding this -- according to the Columbine Report, several witnesses claim that the conversation occurred between gunman Eric Harris and surviving victim Valeen Schnurr. Valeen herself has verified this fact. However Joshua Lapp, a witness to the library shootings, said in his interview with investigators that the shooters asked several people if they believed in God and it didn't seem to matter what the answer was or dictate whether someone got shot or not.

Still, according to witness statements and the Columbine Report, here's what happened to Cassie: When the shooters entered the library she, like many other students, was hiding under the table she'd been sitting at when substitute teacher Patti Nielson entered the library and told everyone to get down. She had her hands over her face, perhaps to keep from seeing what was happening as she could hear other people being shot and killed in the library, near to where she was hiding.

Just after shooting and killing Steve Curnow and injuring Kacey Ruegsegger, Eric Harris came around the table where Cassie and another girl were hiding. He slapped the top of the table twice with his left hand and said to the two frightened girls: "Peek-a-boo!". He then bent down, pointed his sawed-off shotgun under the table and fired once, shooting Cassie in the right side of the head. She died immediately.

When it was still believed that Cassie was the "girl who said yes", she became a martyr to the cause of Christianity and her mother said she couldn't think of a more honorable way to die than the way Cassie was taken. But she also added: "I keep thinking about the things I need to do for Cassie," Cassie's mom told the Oprah show in 1999. "And then I catch myself... I don't need to do that. The Lord is taking care of those mom things I used to do."

Cassie was buried in a white coffin that attendees at her funeral (her pastor called it a marriage to Christ) could sign. Her mom wrote: "Bunny Rabbit, my friend, my buddy, my daughter, my mentor. I will love you and miss you forever. I promise to take good care of your kitty. I know that Jesus is elated to have you in his presence... Your courage and commitment to Christ have gained you a special place in heaven, and I am proud to call you my daughter. I love you so much, Mom."

Despite the fact that she likely didn't say anything to either of the gunmen, the story of the girl who said yes still inspires many and her family prefers to think of her as that girl. She was buried in Golden Cemetery.

Photos of Cassie

Autopsy Summary

Corey DePooter

Born March 3, 1982
17 years old

Corey DePooter was a former wrestler who loved to hike, golf, hunt, and fish. He loved wrestling, golf and in-line skating, but fishing was his passion. He had recently taken a maintenance job at a golf club to save up to buy a fishing boat with a friend. Someone Corey used to fish with said: "It was the times we didn't do well that his personality really shined." Another friend said of him: "When you're going fishing or camping, I know he's going to be there, watching and making sure you're doing everything right.

He's described as an all-American kid who put schoolwork above everything else: He had his wisdom teeth removed that year and was upset that the procedure had forced him to miss school. He was hiding under a table near the windows with his best friend Austin Eubanks and surviving victim Jennifer Doyle when the shooters entered the library. While his friend watched, Dylan Klebold aimed his semi-automatic at Corey and pulled the trigger, killing him almost instantly.

Austin Eubanks later said about Corey: "People said he was the kind of guy people like to be around. I know I sure did. Corey was always able to pick our spirits up in a gloomy situation."

Corey died in the library from multiple gunshot wounds to the neck, chest and left arm. His funeral was held at Trinity Christian Center. Soon after his death his grandmother, Fern Hamilton, contacted the Marine Corps about holding some sort of ceremony for Corey because he'd always wanted to become a Marine. On May 3, 2000, Corey was granted that dream during a ceremony at his gravesite in Chapel Hill Cemetery, where he was made an honorary Marine.

Photos of Corey

Autopsy Summary

Matt Kechter

Born February 19, 1983
16 years old

Matt Kechter was a 210 pound Sophomore: He played on both the offensive and defensive lines of the football team. He's remembered for his ready laugh. He was a weight lifter and an 'A' student.

"When I heard he was one of the ones from the library, it only made sense," said sophomore basketball player and friend Greg Barnes. "He was always in the library studying. He always put academics first. He had straight A's but he would never brag about it. I kinda looked up to him because of it. He was never in a bad mood, he was consistenly happy."

Matt was in the library studying when the shooting began. He had been seated at a table with his friend, Craig Scott; when the teacher came in and told everyone to get down, they both hid under the table and were joined by Matt's fellow athlete and friend, Isaiah Shoels. After the shooters entered the library, they shot several people before Dylan Klebold spotted Isaiah and called Eric Harris's attention to their table. The two gunmen made racial slurs toward the black boy and then Harris shot him at close range. Klebold fired on Matt next, hitting him in the chest. He died sometime later, in the library.

"He was a wonderful role model for his little brother," his parents wrote in a statement that was read at his funeral at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church on April 27. "Their brotherhood had just recently developed into a bonding friendship ... In Matt's heart, there was always enough room for everyone to be victorious."

The University of Colorado (where Matt had planned to attend) sent his younger brother Adam one of their jerseys bearing Matt's name and the jersey number he wore, 70, as part of Columbine's football team. The Columbine High School football team all wore ribbons bearing his old jersey number were asked to dedicate the next season to Matt's memory at his funeral service. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Photos of Matt

Autopsy Summary

Daniel Rohrboug

Born March 2, 1984
15 years old

Daniel Rohrbough enjoyed electronics and computer games. He was looking forward to getting his driver's permit soon. Remembered as a fun guy. He helped in his father's stereo business every day after school and, during the summer, he worked on his grandfather's farm harvesting wheat as he had done since he was three. He used the money he earned to buy Christmas presents for his family. On Tuesday Danny's father Brian knew something was wrong when his son failed to show up at the shop after school like normal.

Danny was heading out of the cafeteria that morning with friends Lance Kirklin and Sean Graves when the shooters opened fire down the grassy knoll outside the school's west entrance. There was no warning for Danny and no chance: He was felled by shots to the abdomen and left leg. Lance tried to catch him but was shot as well. Moments later Dylan Klebold shot him again at point-blank range in the chest. He bled to death (warning disturbing picture) on the sidewalk outside the school where he lay for nearly 2 days before paramedics were allowed to move him.

The Rohrboughs were kept in the dark about what had happened to their son; law enforcement told them they didn't know for certain that the body on the sidewalk was Danny and wouldn't let the family in to check for themselves. It wasn't till the morning after the shootings that the Rohrboughs found out for certain what they already knew in their hearts: Danny was indeed the dead boy outside and they learned this news because it was splashed all over the morning news and not because the family was told directly by officials.

There was even more controversy over Danny's death when Arapahoe County Deputy James Taylor, who had been a friend of the Rohrbough family, told Danny's parents that the boy may have been killed by 'friendly fire' from a Denver SWAT team member. Lawsuits and independent investigation has confirmed that Danny died from the shot fired by Eric Harris but it was never made clear whether or not Danny was hit in the crossfire by a bullet from law enforcement. The family later sued Taylor, who was suspended from the force.

He was known in the media reports later as "the boy who held the door open" for friends, allowing them to escape from the school during the assault. It's a very heroic notion but, like many of the stories of martyrdom during the crisis, doesn't seem to be supported by witness statements entered into the official reports that followed the investigation of the shootings. But whether he did or didn't, all the people who knew him could agree on one thing: Danny was a wonderful young man and he would be sorely missed.

Shortly after learning of his death, Dan's mother Sue Petrone started a load of laundry in order to "do something normal" and came across Daniel's shirt and socks. "The little things just bring back the horror of the fact that he's not with us any more," she said. She didn't often see Dan in the mornings before his death but that last morning they managed to come together for a brief chat that ended with a hug, a kiss, and her telling him she loved him. It was the last time she saw him alive.

Danny's funeral was held at Grace Presbyterian Church and he was buried in Littleton Cemetery.

Photos of Daniel

Autopsy Summary

Isaiah Shoels

Born August 4, 1980
18 years old

Isaiah Shoels wanted to be a comedian, dreamed of becoming a music executive. After graduating he wanted to attend an arts college. Friends nicknamed him "Bushwick". Born with a heart defect, his parents said he was a fighter who overcame his disability and went on to play football and wrestle. He had played cornerback the previous year on the football team but his father claimed he quit "possibly because of racial intimidation". Isaiah also played keyboards and wanted to become a record producer, like his father Michael who was the president of Notorious Records and Ft. Knox Entertainment - a firm Michael started to promote black musicians in the Denver area. After graduation Isaiah had planned to attend the Denver Institute of the Arts.

Isaiah was a popular boy; Columbine principal Frank DeAngelis said his classmates would compete to work on school projects with him. "Isaiah Shoels, thank you for having such a positive impact on our school and on our family. You will be greatly missed, and I love you, my dear child," he said at Isaiah's funeral.

"He's smiling down on us," classmate and friend Nick Foss said. "I know he is."

Isaiah was studying in the library with his friends Matt Kechter and Craig Scott when the shooters entered the building. The three boys hid under the same table, listening to the sounds of the gunmen tearing up the room and shooting other people. Seeing Isaiah, a known athlete, hiding there both shooters moved to either side of the table. Dylan Klebold made a racist comment and tried to pull him out from under the table. When he failed, Eric Harris opened fire, killing Isaiah. Klebold then shot and killed Matt. Craig was amazingly left uninjured though he played dead, laying in the blood of his dying friends.

Isaiah died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Witness reports of the shooters' racist remarks led Isaiah's parents to later claim that the whole massacre was race-motivated, however Isaiah was the only black person killed - or even injured - during the shootings.

The last of the Columbine victims to be buried, Isaiah was laid to rest in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver. Martin Luther King III, son of Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at Isaiah's funeral at the Heritage Christian Center.

Photos of Isaiah

Autopsy Summary

Steve Curnow

Born August 28, 1984
14 years old

Steve Curnow dreamed of being a Navy top gun pilot and was very close with his mom Susan and father Robert (Bob). He loved soccer and worked part-time as a referee and his dad Bob coached the soccer team (Blue Devils of the Colorado Rush) he played on. He liked the color green, because it was the color of the field. His favorite classes were Spanish, technology, and gym because he got to play sports.

Remembered as a huge fan, he watched the Star Wars movies so many times he could recite the dialogue along with the actors. Science fiction fans nationwide put together a go-to-Star-Wars memorial day in his honor when Phantom Menace premiered in theaters May 19th, 1999. He had been anxiously awaiting its release.

Steve was hiding under one of the small computer tables in the library, near surviving victim Kacey Ruegsegger, when the shooting began. Eric Harris shot him in neck with his sawed-off shotgun. He died in the library, the youngest victim of the Columbine massacre.

His funeral was held at Trinity Christian Center, the fourth funeral of a Columbine victim held there in five days. Members of his soccer team were among the mourners at his funeral. "Every time we'd play, he'd have a huge smile on his face," Justin Norman said at the funeral, a former teammate who was among a dozen friends who offered eulogies for Steve.

His sister Nancy said at the funeral that she was going to miss fighting with Steve over whose turn it was to take out the garbage, and whose turn it was to use the computer. She wondered who will tell stories to her own children about what she was like growing up. She'd been counting on her little brother for that.

His mom wrote a note to Steve that was read at his funeral: "Thank you for that special moment two weeks ago when you said, 'Mom, I bet there aren't many guys who can discuss things with their moms like we do.'"

Steve was buried in Fort Logan National Cemetery.

Photos of Steve

Autopsy Summary

Kelly Fleming

Born January 6, 1983
16 years old

Kelly Fleming and her family moved to Littleton from Phoenix, Arizona 18 months before the shooting. Her father Don said they scoured the area looking for a good neighborhood where their daughters would be safe. Kelly was a shy and creative girl who loved Halloween and was an aspiring songwriter and author who wrote many poems and short stories based on her life experiences. She had been writing an auto-biography on her home computer: She started when her mom's water broke and had gotten as far as her fifth year. She often went to Columbine's library to write; her stories often had happy endings.

Kelly was learning to drive and wanted to get a job at a day care center, and save enough money to buy a Mustang or a Corvette. She longed to be able to drive so she could return to Phoenix for a visit or go on road trips. She loved to read, especially books about vampires. One day she hoped to be a published author and often entered writing contests.

Her mother, Dee, remembered Kelly coming home from school two months before the shooting, saying: "I'm not shy any more."

When the shooters entered the library, Kelly was hiding beside a table with other girls who she had been sitting with: Lisa Kreutz, Jeanna Park, Diwata Perez, Valeen Schnurr, and Lauren Townsend. At one point Dylan Klebold fired under the table, injuring Val and Lisa. He fired his gun again, killing Lauren. Both gunmen reloaded their weapons and taunted Val, asking her if she believed in God. The shooters then moved away from Kelly's table, moving to another table where they shot Nicole Nowlen and killed John Tomlin before coming back to the girls's table. Coming up from behind, he shot Kelly in the back with his sawed-off shotgun.

Her body was found on the floor near that of Lauren Townsend. Kelly's father said: "Here's one of the real leaders of the school, and our Kelly was next to someone like that. I'm sure Lauren took care of Kelly. She wasn't alone." He also said he prayed for the parents of the shooters. "They'll have a tougher time getting over this than we will."

Kelly's funeral was held at the same time as Daniel Mauser's at the St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church. She was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery with two teddy bears in her arms.

Photos of Kelly

Autopsy Summary

Daniel Mauser

Born June 25, 1983
15 years old

Daniel Mauser was a sophomore who excelled in math and science, and got straight 'A's on his last report card. His dad remembered his son as a smart young man who wasn't afraid of challenges and who wasn't ashamed to hug his parents. He was shy but he didn't let that stop him from joining the debate team and though he wasn't a natural athlete, he still joined the cross-country team. He liked to ski, camp and recently returned from a two-week trip to Paris with the French club.

Daniel volunteered at the Swedish Hospital, he was preparing for Confirmation at St. Frances Cabrini Church, and was hoping to get his driver's license the next year. He was concerned with gun safety in America and his father, Tom Mauser, is an active protester of the NRA and continues to campaign for stricter gun laws in the wake of his son's brutal death.

Daniel was in the library when he was shot in the face by Eric Harris while hiding under one of the tables.

His funeral was held jointly with Kelly Fleming's at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Photos of Daniel

Autopsy Summary

Rachel Scott

Born August 5, 1981
17 years old

Rachel Scott was a vibrant and straight-forward individual. She wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in, no matter what. She played the lead in a student-written school play, "The Smoke in the Room" (co-starring friends Nick Baumgart, Lauren Beachem, and others), and was writing a play for her senior year. She also liked photography and was active in the Celebration Christian Fellowship church. She was "made for the camera," according to her father, Darrell, and was an aspiring writer and actress. "There's nothing I can add or take away from what she gave us," her mom, Beth, said. "In those short 17 years, it was complete."

She quit smoking at the request of friend Nick Baumgart who later took her to the prom. If she hadn't quit, it's quite possible she would've been at "Smoker's Pit" during lunch instead of in the line of fire. As it was, she was eating lunch on the grass with friend Richard Castaldo when the shooters opened fire on the west entrance near where she was seated on the grass. According to witnesses, she was hit and fell to the ground where, moments later, one of the shooters came down the hill and shot her at point-blank range when she tried to get up. She died from gunshot wounds to the head, chest, arm and leg, and was one of the first victims in what would soon become one of the nation's most deadly mass shootings.

One of the shooters, Dylan Klebold, had known Rachel in middle school and had even been the sound tech for a talent show she performed in, back in 1998. Ironically, when the sound broke down, Dylan saved the performance by hooking up a reserve tape deck. What's more: Rachel had been performing a mime dance portraying Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus's cross along part of the Via Dolorosa: The same miming that was later performed behind her coffin during her funeral.

Rachel's family didn't know for certain that she was dead until Thursday when her name was on the list of confirmed dead but they all knew in their hearts that the worst was coming as their prayers for her to turn up safe and sound went unanswered during those long hours between the shootings and news of her death. Rachel had always been close with her brother Craig (who had been in the library during the shootings and miraculously survived uninjured despite being next to two other boys who were shot and killed) but had experienced difficulty connecting with her father. That last week before her death, Rachel and her dad had a long and bonding discussion, something that left both of them feeling incredibly happy. For Darrell that moment would later give him comfort when dealing with Rachel's death.

Throughout her life Rachel was an incredibly spiritual person who often wrote to God in her diaries about wanting to "reach the unreached". She begged Him for the chance to show others the way, to let her life have some purpose in spreading His word. In 1998 she drew a collage of images that included a rose growing up out of a columbine, with several dark drops spiralling it (you can see this picture on the video Untold Stories Of Columbine). On the morning of the shootings, she doodled a reprise of the picture: a pair of eyes crying 13 teardrops onto that same rose - the same number of victims the shooters would kill during the massacre just hours later.

After her death, Rachel's car was turned into a makeshift memorial by her friends where it sat in the parking lot. "In my eyes, she was just one of those kinds of people you know you won't ever meet again," Rachel's friend Lauren Beachem said of her. "She was the kind of person only born once."

Rachel was buried at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in the Columbine Memorial Garden.

Photos of Rachel

Autopsy Summary
Autopsy Summary2

John Tomlin

Born September 1, 1982
16 years old

John Tomlin was a native of Wisconsin, he worked after school at a local nursery hauling trees and belonged to a church youth group, where he met his girlfriend of seven months, Michelle Oetter. Family and friends remember his energy and the warmth of his smile. He loved church and Chevrolet trucks. He had recently got his driver's license and had just bought an old Chevy pickup that he had been working for since he was 14. He once drove all the way to Mexico to help build a house for a poor family. He enjoyed four-wheeling in his truck and lifting weights.

His truck, like Rachel's car, became a standing memorial in the parking lot. Thursday following the shootings his family gathered around the truck despite the fact that it was raining. His bible was still sitting on the dashboard, where he always left it in the hope that someone would see something there that would bring them closer to God.

"He was a perfect son," his father, John Michael Tomlin, said. "He was just good. You'd ask him to wash a car, and he'd wash both cars."

John spent his lunch hour in the library daily, studying. He was there the day the gunmen stormed the school. Hiding under a table, he welcomed a girl he didn't know [victim Nicole Nowlen] into his hiding place when she grew scared where she was hiding and he held her hand to comfort her when the killers started shooting people in the library. Then the shooters came to their table. Without bending to see who was under the table, Eric Harris opened fire on John and Nicole, injuring them both with a blast from his shotgun. Dylan Klebold came around the table then and shot John at point-blank range in the head, killing him almost instantly.

The first of the funerals for the victims killed at Columbine, his was held at Foothills Bible Church where he had attended church. He was buried in his hometown of Waterford, Wisconsin, in Saint Peters Cemetery. He was buried in a satin-lined coffin embroidered with Chevy trucks.

Photos of John

Autopsy Summary

Lauren Townsend

Born January 17, 1981
18 years old

Lauren Townsend was a senior and captain of the girls' varsity volleyball team, which her mother, Dawn Anna, coached. She was a member of the National Honor Society and was a candidate for valedictorian of her graduating class. Lauren was a talented sketch artist as well. Nicknamed "Lulu," she was a straight 'A' student - she never got a 'B'. She volunteered at a local animal shelter and had planned to major in biology at Colorado State University when she graduated from Columbine.

Lauren was in the library with her friends (Lisa Kreutz, Diwata Perez, Valeen Schnurr, and Jeanna Park) when the shooting began. She hid beneath the table with them when the teacher told everyone to get down. Finding herself beside a frightened Val Schnurr, Lauren put her arm around her, drew her closer and told her everything would be okay. After several minutes of hearing the gunmen taunt and shoot other people hiding in the library, one of the killers - Dylan Klebold - came to Lauren's table. He opened fire, injuring Lisa and Val. He fired again, as fast as his weapon would shoot, hitting Lauren several times. A few minutes later Eric Harris came back around the table and shot beneath it again, hitting Lauren again but she didn't feel it -- she was already dead.

She died there on the floor of the library from multiple bullet- and shotgun wounds to the head, chest and lower body. Her funeral was held at Foothills Bible Church where her brother Josh played a tribute video filled with moments from her life. Many of her teachers spoke at her funeral, commending her gentle nature and loving spirit as well as her academic excellence. Her coffin was a white one that people attending her funeral could write on, much like one would sign a yearbook. Her father wrote: "Lulu, you'll always be my baby."

She was buried in Littleton Cemetery.

Photos of Lauren

Autopsy Summary

Kyle Velasquez

Born May 5, 1982
16 years old

Neighbors and relatives say Kyle Velasquez enjoyed chores and family activities. They say he was a "gentle giant." -- he was six feet tall and 230 pounds when he died but those who knew him, knew that he was a little boy at heart. Affectionate and sincere, he loved nothing more than helping his dad, Al, out around the house: Putting up shelves, mowing the lawn, washing the car. Every day he would kiss his mom, Phyllis, on the cheek and tell her that he loved her. He dreamed of joining the Navy like his dad, or becoming a firefighter.

When Kyle was just a baby he suffered a stroke that left him mentally disabled and he also had severe asthma. As a "special needs" child, Kyle was often ignored, avoided, and teased while growing up -- he knew what it was like to be an outcast. Due to his disabilities, Kyle's parents had prepared to spend the rest of their lives with him. He would accompany his mother everywhere while she ran her errands. Kyle's last words to her were: "Goodbye. I love you, mom."

A shy teen, Kyle had only been attending Columbine for three months and was just beginning to come out of his shell when the massacre occurred. It was only a few weeks that he was staying at the school through lunch; a few weeks earlier and he would've been on his way home the day the shooting started. He had been sitting at one of the computer tables - he loved computers - in the library when the killers came in, perhaps too confused or frightened by the chaos and noise to hide himself. Dylan Klebold shot him in the back of the head as he passed by; Kyle was the first victim to die in the library.

Kyle was buried with military honors in Fort Logan National Cemetery since his father was a Navy veteran. His parents were given the flags from his coffin and the one that was flown at half-mast in Kyle's honor at the state Capitol.

Photos of Kyle

Autopsy Summary

Dave Sanders

Born October 22, 1951
47 years old

William "Dave" Sanders was a computer and business teacher at Columbine for 25 years, and coach of the girls' basketball and softball teams. He left behind his wife, four children and five grandchildren.

His students said he was a teacher, a friend, a mentor and an inspiration. When the gunmen started firing outside the school he ran to the cafeteria and sounded the alarm. He, along with two of the school's janitors, helped get more than 100 students out of the path of danger by herding them away from the shooters. He saved untold numbers of lives that day.

By the time the gunmen arrived, the cafeteria was nearly empty thanks to him. He was in the upstairs hall trying to get students safely hidden in classrooms when he was shot from behind by Eric Harris. He was hit in the torso, head and neck. He managed to get himself into a science lab where he bled to death waiting for help that 911 told students who were helping him was coming, but never arrived.

Dave's daughter Angela said at his funeral: "What you did in that school on Tueseday was an amazing act of heroism. Even after you were hurt, you continued to be the brave, selfless man we all know you are."

Dave was buried in Littleton's Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. Since his death, Coach Dave Sanders has had a softball field at Columbine and a scholarship named after him, to honor his memory, and posthumously received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.

Photos of Dave

Autopsy Summary