As it happened: CBS

CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT (2:07 PM ET)

JOHN ROBERTS reporting:

This is a CBS News Special Report. Good day. John Roberts reporting from CBS News headquarters in New York.

We're on the air at this hour because we're following what appears to be tragic developments at a high school in Denver, Colorado, specifically in Littleton, about seven miles southwest of the downtown area of Denver--Columbine High School. Apparently we're getting reports that about noon shots were fired, potential grenades were thrown. There were explosions. There was also fire. A number of people have been hurt. We do not know if they are students. At least one has been taken to the hospital.

Our affiliate, KCNC-TV, in Denver spoke just a few moments ago with a student named Janine from the high school who was an eyewitness to the shooting, who they caught on her cell phone as she was driving away from the school back to her home.

JANINE (Student): We saw these two kids. They were--they were white and they--Eric Harris and we don't know the other one's name, but they had black trench coats on.

Unidentified Reporter #1: You saw two students with black trench coats on holding guns?

JANINE: Yeah. They were shooting people and throwing grenades and stuff.

Unidentified Reporter #2: Were they--were they saying anything, yelling anything?

JANINE: No, we didn't hear anything. We just walked past them like we usually walk past everybody at school and then they started shooting people and throwing grenades and me and my friends just got into my car and drove off.

Reporter #1: Janine, did you see anyone shot? Were they shooting at people or did you see...

JANINE: Yeah, we saw like three people get shot.

ROBERTS: According to Janine, she said that these two were just shooting. They didn't care who they were shooting at. She did not know why they were shooting. Also the report of the explosion which has been confirmed by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department as well as reports of fire in or around the Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado; again, a suburb of Denver, about seven miles southwest of Denver.

This is an ongoing situation. It is developing by the moment. We will again break into programming as the circumstances warrant. For now, John Roberts, CBS News, in New York. We'll get back to you.

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CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT (2:58 PM ET)

JOHN ROBERTS reporting:

This is a CBS News Special Report. Good day. John Roberts at CBS News headquarters in New York.

We're back on the air with an update for you now on that school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, which is about six or seven miles southwest of the downtown area of Denver, Colorado. It is, in fact, a suburb of Denver. It happened just about 11:30 this morning, at the time of the first lunch period. Two gunmen, white, allegedly dressed in black trench coats, walked into the high school and started shooting. We have reports from students who were inside the school at the time that they opened fire in the lunchroom and possibly also in the library as well. There were a number of shots that were fired. There were a couple of explosions that were heard as well, suggesting that the gunmen may have either had some sort of grenades or pipe bomb devices as well. Eight people so far have been confirmed injured. Among them may have been a teacher, possibly a physics teacher. We have reports from our station, KCNC-TV, in Denver that three people have been transported to the hospital and one of those people may be in critical condition.

The gunmen apparently are still inside the school, as are a number of students. A few minutes ago KCNC-TV spoke with one eyewitness who escaped the carnage. His name is Brian. Here he is.

BRIAN (Columbine Student): There was a bunch of what looked like, you know--like those Black Cat firecrackers or some kind of firecrackers going off underneath the tree.

Unidentified Reporter: Uh-huh.

BRIAN: And then, you know, I saw this kid and--you know, that got shot and he was laying on the ground and, you know, he was just saying, 'Ow, it hurts. It hurts.'

Reporter: So...

BRIAN: And he just, you know, starts walking down the stairs and I saw the gun that he had and it looked like some toy gun that you buy at a--like a toy store.

Reporter: So it was more like a pistol?

BRIAN: No, it wasn't. It was--it was like one of those guns where you put the clip in the bottom of it.

Reporter: Mm-hmm.

BRIAN: And--you know, I think it was an automatic, 'cause there was a whole bunch of shots really, really fast.

Reporter: Brian, you were outside having lunch.

BRIAN: Yes.

Reporter: Was the shooting going on inside the school or just right outside the door?

BRIAN: It was outside the school first. And I--I was with my friend Chris, who's also here with me. And I said, you know, 'Guys, that's a real gun,' and we just--both of us just started running. We got inside to the commons and we slowed down a little bit.

Reporter: Mm-hmm.

BRIAN: And then they were coming in and Mr. Sanders, one of the teachers, was just yelling, 'Get down,' and you see all the kids climb underneath their tables, just sit there. And we ran upstairs and we went up to the front office and, again, up in the hall there was a bunch of shots going off in the halls and you could hear them bouncing off the lockers and stuff. And then, you know, we're just--you know, they're like, 'Just get down,' and everybody, you know, in the whole room just drops down and lays there and just crawls out the back door and we ran.

ROBERTS: That's Brian, who's a student at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. This tragedy is about an hour and a half old now. Apparently the SWAT team has mobilized outside of the school. Their mobile command center is on the scene as well. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department has asked our TV affiliate and other television affiliates in Denver not to broadcast any more live pictures from the sky, from their helicopters, of the school. That may indicate that the SWAT team is planning on going inside the building.

We will break into programming as the events warrant. We will have more on this tonight on your local news as well as a full wrap-up on the "CBS Evening News." Until then, John Roberts, CBS News, New York. Good day.

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CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT (6:03 PM ET)

JOHN ROBERTS, anchor:

This is a CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT. Good afternoon, John Roberts from CBS News headquarters in New York with an update now on the shooting at the Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. We want to go to a press conference in progress right now. Steve Davis from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, who says there are fatalities.

Mr. STEVE DAVIS (Jefferson County Sheriff's Department): ...working the area and the building, looking for additional victims and suspects. There has been some air traffic to the effect that suspects have been found inside the building and are dead. At this time, we feel like it's a--certainly a possibility that those are two of our suspects, but that hasn't been confirmed. There are additional victims inside the building that our SWAT team members are finding as they comb the building; however, those--the condition of those victims right now is unknown.

I'll entertain a few questions, and also the sheriff can answer any that you want to hear from him.

Unidentified Reporter #1: Steve, we've heard reports that the possible suspects had hand grenades, possibly live hand grenades on their bodies. Is that accurate?

Unidentified Man #1: We do. There are--there are explosives--yes, sure. There are explosives that were found in the school and outside of the school as well as at one of the suspect's houses, a device was found over there. I've heard radio traffic that there was detonable devices on one of the suspects, at least one of the suspects.

Unidentified Reporter #2: Can you identify that suspect?

Man #1: Not at this point. I'm sorry, sir?

Unidentified Reporter #3: What kind of weapons did the suspects use, to the best of your knowledge?

Man #1: Well, handguns and--and--and these bombs, and we're not exactly sure what they were.

Unidentified Reporter #4: What did they bomb?

Unidentified Reporter #5: What--where were the suspects found?

Unidentified Reporter #6: Where were they?

Man #1: In the library.

Unidentified Reporter #7: In the library?

Man #1: The library.

Unidentified Reporter #8: Sheriff...

Unidentified Reporter #9: Were they alive?

Unidentified Reporter #10: Were they former students?

Reporter #8: Sheriff, there was a suspect or someone in handcuffs taken down, taken into custody here. Can you tell us who that person was?

Man #1: We had three individuals that were ascending upon the school wearing kind of military camouflage fatigue type things. They were detained and it appears they are associates of these gentlemen, or good friends of these gentlemen that--that--I don't want to call them gentlemen. These people that perpetrated this--this atrocity here today.

Unidentified Reporter #11: We're talking about someone dressed in black who was taken away over here.

Unidentified Reporter #12: You said you had two suspects ...(unintelligible).

Man #1: Yes, yes.

Unidentified Reporter #13: Was that a suspect?

Man #1: That--this is still under investigation. We're not sure what relationship he had to those people inside, but he was a very good friend, according to the information we have.

Unidentified Reporter #14: You said you found two suspects in the library?

Unidentified Reporter #15: Two suspects in the library?

Man #1: Three--two--two dead in the library.

Reporter #14: Two dead in the library. You think they may be the suspects?

Reporter #15: And where was the third?

Man #1: Well, we're not sure if there is a third or not yet.

Reporter #15: Two dead in the library.

Man #1: Or--or how many. We're still in--the SWAT operation is still going on in there.

Unidentified Reporter #16: Two dead suspects?

Man #1: Two dead suspects.

Unidentified Reporter #17: Self-inflicted wounds, sir?

Unidentified Reporter #18: What about a possible motive?

Reporter #17: Did it look like they were dead from self-inflicted wounds?

Man #1: It's possible.

Reporter #18: What about a possible motive in this? I mean, what are you hearing from the kids?

Man #1: Cra--cra--craziness. You know, we--we're not hearing anything from the kids. The kids are hys--pretty hysterical. This just happened.

Unidentified Reporter #19: How many weapons were found on the suspects?

Man #1: I can't tell you that yet. We don't have...

Unidentified Reporter #20: When were they found?

Unidentified Reporter #21: ...(Unintelligible) do you know if she had any relation to these suspects at all?

Man #1: No. No, I'm not sure.

Unidentified Reporter #22: Sheriff, there was an armored personnel carrier brought into the National Guard ...(unintelligible) and what you're doing.

Man #1: It was brought in--it was brought in for security to try to help get wounded people out if we needed it. Unfortunately, when we did make entry into the library, it was a pretty gruesome sight.

Unidentified Reporter #23: Are there still victims in this--do you know if there are still students possibly in hiding in closets?

Man #1: No, we--we--we're doing a sweep of the entire school. We've got SWAT teams, our SWAT team, Arapahoe County's, Lakewood's and the FBI currently in there.

Unidentified Reporter #24: How long do you think it will take to sweep the entire...

Man #1: Hopefully--hopefully we'll get it wrapped up within an hour as far as the sweep.

ROBERTS: And that is the Jefferson County sheriff saying that it appears as though there are two suspects who were in the library of the school who may be the people who perpetrated what he called an atrocity today, and that those suspects are dead. So this whole thing may be drawing to a close at the Columbine High School outside of Denver, Colorado, southwest of Denver in the suburb of Littleton. It all began about 11:30 Mountain time. Twenty people injured, brought to hospital, an unknown number of students dead, but it would appear from what we have seen at least outside the school, that there are two to three of them and perhaps more victims inside.

We'll have more straight ahead on the "CBS Evening News" for people in the Eastern and Central time zones. More coming up on your local news as well. John Roberts, CBS News in New York. Good day.

CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT (7:43 PM ET)

JOHN ROBERTS, anchor:

This is a CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT. Good day. John Roberts at the CBS News headquarters in New York. We're on the air now because President Clinton is expected to address the nation from the White House briefing room momentarily on the school shooting rampage today at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. If late reports of at least 25 deaths and 20 others wounded are confirmed, this would be the worst single incident of school violence in the past decade and perhaps in US history. Police believe two young men in black trench coats staged the attack at lunch period and that they are among the dead. The terror lasted for hours. Some victims were left sprawled outside the building, apparently dead. Hospitals reported receiving at least 20 people wounded. The alleged shooters were said to be members of the so-called Trench Coat Mafia at the high school, young people who considered themselves outsiders who apparently showed up today with explosives, guns and a grudge. SWAT teams helped evacuate scores of students who were trapped inside the school building during the violence.

Talking to eyewitnesses, they said that they seemed to target minorities, people with white hats, for some unknown reason, and as well people who were into scholastic athletics, perhaps people who they felt that they could not connect with because they were such outsiders at the school.

Here now, the president from the briefing room at the White House.

President BILL CLINTON: I want to begin by saying that Hillary and I are profoundly shocked and saddened by the tragedy today in Littleton, where two students opened fire on their classmates before, apparently, turning their guns on themselves.

I have spoken with Governor Bill Owens and County Commission Chair Patricia Holloway and expressed my profound concern for the people of Littleton. I have spoken to Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and who, along with Attorney General Reno, is closely monitoring this situation. I've asked the attorney general and the secretary of education to stand ready to assist local law enforcement, the schools, the families, the entire community during this time of crisis and sorrow.

A crisis response team is ready now to travel to Colorado, and I strongly believe that we should do whatever we can to get enough counselors to the families and the children as quickly as possible. I know the other communities that have been through this are also ready to do whatever they can to help.

I think that Patricia Holloway would not mind if I said that, amidst all the turmoil and grief that she and others are experiencing, she said to me just a moment ago that perhaps now America would wake up to the dimensions of this challenge, if it could happen to a place like Littleton, and we could prevent anything like this from happening again. We pray that she is right.

We don't know yet all the hows or whys of this tragedy. Perhaps we may never fully understand it. St. Paul reminds us that we all see things in this life through a glass darkly, that we only partly understand what is happening. We do know that we must do more to reach out to our children and teach them to express their anger and to resolve their conflicts with words, not weapons. And we do know we have to do more to recognize the early warning signs that are sent before children act violently.

To the families who have lost their loved ones, to the parents who have lost their beloved children, to the wounded children and their families, to the people of the community of Littleton, I can only say tonight that the prayers of the American people are with you. Thank you very much.

ROBERTS: President Clinton saying we do not yet know the hows and whys of this but--it appears he's taking questions here, which we did not expect.

BILL PLANTE (CBS News): ...can do to prevent things like this from happening?

Pres. CLINTON: Well, I think on this case, it's very, very important that we have the facts, insofar as we can find them out. You know, we had the conference here last fall, the--the attorney general and the secretary of education prepared the handbook for all the schools that we asked to be widely used. And we do have f--from bitter and sad experience a great cadre of very good, effective grief counselors. My guess is that they will be needed in abundance there for the children. I think after a little time has passed, we--we need to have a candid assessment about what more we can do to try to prevent these things from happening.

Mr. WOLF BLITZER (CNN): Mr. President, there seems to be an epidemic of these kinds of incidents now. There was Paducah, Kentucky; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Springfield, Oregon, an--and several others. Would--would you characterize this as an epidemic affecting the nation's school system?

Pres. CLINTON: I wouldn't want to use that word. What I would like to know is whether we can take it--we can learn enough from this which, in its dimensions, apparently is much greater than even the others were, and--and see what else we can do. I had a--a very interesting conversation this afternoon with Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy who, as all of you know, lost her own husband and son sustained a wound because--as a result of a shooting incident on a commuter train. And--and that's what we talked about. I think tonight, we owe it to the people of Littleton and to the families involved in this tragedy to let them go through the grieving and--and deal--and try to get the facts, and then the rest of us have a responsibility to do everything we can to make sure this doesn't make 1999 a year like last year, that we don't have another rash of this, that we really can be more effective in preventing it. And I--I wish I could say more tonight, but I don't think I can.

Mr. DAVID BLOOM (NBC News): Mr. President, have you been--have you been--have you been told, sir--have you been told, sir--have you been told, sir, that the death toll is as high as the 25 figure that we've heard? And secondly, sir, every time one of these things happens, we go through this course of hand-wringing and say we've got to stop it from happening again. Is there anything specific and concrete that you'd like to see happen that hasn't happened yet?

Pres. CLINTON: Well, I don't want to make a--there are, but I--what I would like to do is take a couple of days, because we don't know what the facts are here, and keep in mind, the community is an open wound right now. They have suffered as much as anyone can suffer. This is the largest group of fatalities, whatever the numbers are, and I've heard various numbers, even as much as five minutes ago ba--before I came out. I'd like to answer that question, but I think anything I say tonight can only add to the pain of the people in Littleton and not serve to solve the problem. So I will answer that question when I have more facts and after we let a little time pass.

Unidentified Reporter #1: Mr. President, you said that you pray that people will wake up. Wake up to what, sir?

Pres. CLINTON: Well, I think, you know, there are a lot of kids out there who have access to--to weapons and apparently more than guns here, and who build up these grievances in their own mind and who are not being reached. And it's not just Littleton. We know that now. We've had lots and lots and lots of places.

ROBERTS: This, no doubt, will be a night of mourning across America, not only for people in Littleton but across the country as they look inside themselves to how they would react if it were their children who were victims of the shooting. And the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, the FBI tonight all looking for the hows and the whys of how this happened. The SWAT team has cleared Columbine High School. They say that it has now been locked down. What they have left to deal with is a massive crime scene, the scene of the death of as many as 25 young students at the hands of two gunmen who claimed they were outsiders and said they were doing this to get back at all the people who had made fun of them over the years.

We'll have more coming up on this story on the West Coast on the "CBS Evening News," and the other time zones across this country, more coming up on your late local news. Until then, John Roberts, CBS News in New York. Good evening.