Instead of the Library

Why did E & D just go to the library? Couldn't they go to separate classrooms and start shooting?

Excellent question!

Now that I think about it they weren’t really apart from each other for very long.I imagine they would’ve felt unguarded if they had split up and done that. Also the proximity of the library to the cafeteria was an advantage. Another reason was that the windows looked out at the cops. And also some say it was kind of their sanctuary when they were younger and underclassman.

I also imagine when they saw Patti run in there they probably wanted to keep scaring her

No one will ever really know but I always assumed that next to the cafeteria/ Commons area, the library was bound to have the greatest number of students in it at any given time. Since they wanted to maximize the number of deaths/ injuries they caused it was an ideal place to attack.

Once the bombs failed to go off and the majority of people had fled the cafeteria, the library was the next best place to try to increase the number of casualties.

And as [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] mentioned, although E & D were apart for brief periods I think they were more comfortable doing what they were doing together. Whether it be because they could cover each other and prevent civilians or law enforcement from taking one of them down or they just needed the support of the other to continue the attack.  That's probably why they didn't split up and go in different directions.

If they shot everyone in the libary, how many could have been killed?

Ziamber II wrote:

If they shot everyone in the libary, how many could have been killed?

It all depends on shot-placement, so i don't know what the exact number would be. I know for a fact that their body-count would definitely increase.

Ziamber II wrote:

If they shot everyone in the libary, how many could have been killed?

56, 52 students and four staff members, they had more then enough ammo to do so to.

Why didn't they?

Ziamber II wrote:

Why didn't they?

I think they just tired of killing people and thought they wouldn't have enough ammunition to commit suicide.

Kerea2244 wrote:

Why did E & D just go to the library? Couldn't they go to separate classrooms and start shooting?

A better plan B would've been to go into the cafeteria and start shooting. there were literally hundreds of people there - in five minutes you could easily see a death toll as high as 40.

QuestionMark wrote:

Kerea2244 wrote:

Why did E & D just go to the library? Couldn't they go to separate classrooms and start shooting?

A better plan B would've been to go into the cafeteria and start shooting. there were literally hundreds of people there - in five minutes you could easily see a death toll as high as 40.

I do agree that the cafeteria would have had a better concentration of potential targets.

QuestionMark wrote:

Kerea2244 wrote:

Why did E & D just go to the library? Couldn't they go to separate classrooms and start shooting?

A better plan B would've been to go into the cafeteria and start shooting. there were literally hundreds of people there - in five minutes you could easily see a death toll as high as 40.

I always wonder why Dylan didn't shoot into the cafeteria when he "checked" on the bombs early on. Was it they only shot with each other when they were together? Dylan could have sprayed plenty with his Tec-9 into the Cafeteria. Was he just taking his sweet time?.....my mind never stops about the decisions of those 2 that morning.

Adzybear wrote:

I always wonder why Dylan didn't shoot into the cafeteria when he "checked" on the bombs early on. Was it they only shot with each other when they were together? Dylan could have sprayed plenty with his Tec-9 into the Cafeteria. Was he just taking his sweet time?.....my mind never stops about the decisions of those 2 that morning.

True. The many questions that surround Columbine and E&D in general are endless. I'd love to be able to know what was truly going through their minds that morning.

Tommy QTR wrote:

Ziamber II wrote:

Why didn't they?

I think they just tired of killing people and thought they wouldn't have enough ammunition to commit suicide.

I've always thought they didn't kill *as many* as what one would think is cause of the bomb failure and the subsequent outcome of that...

~ After the bombing failed I presume they (especially Eric) thought how everyone would have seen it and them as a pure failure ~knowing all the material they left behind would be looked in to. One of (if not their main goal depending how you see it) the main goals being infamy through the bombs.

~ As a result of the failure an on the spur plan being the must have felt they had to go in and kill a bunch of people to get their infamy and keep up some end of a story/legacy...whatever word you like to use. Get that done and then try and (to them more importantly) get the bombs to go off and blow up the school and all that.

~ Killing people with strictly firearms was never the main goal, only a 15 minute or so period where they felt they had to do it due to circumstances. Which would have lead to adrenaline quickly wearing off etc as people have mentioned.

Ziamber II wrote:

Why didn't they?

That's one of the things about the massacre that still puzzles me. I think Eric's focus on the bombs, Eric's broken nose and the overall "improvisation" of the shooting were all factors.

Adzybear wrote:

Dylan could have sprayed plenty with his Tec-9 into the Cafeteria. Was he just taking his sweet time?.....my mind never stops about the decisions of those 2 that morning.

I think I can answer that one. We tend to look at the shooting as a one sided terror-show, but I imagine singly facing over 200 people in the cafeteria was not a reassuring experience for Dylan.

His Tec-9 had only semi-auto mode, moreover (correct me if I'm wrong) it had already jammed on the big clip when he was outside. I imagine he didn't want to find himself without Eric, facing that huge mass of people with a two-shot shotgun and a gun that he knows can easily jam on him.

Sabratha wrote:

Ziamber II wrote:

Why didn't they?

That's one of the things about the massacre that still puzzles me. I think Eric's focus on the bombs, Eric's broken nose and the overall "improvisation" of the shooting were all factors.

Adzybear wrote:

Dylan could have sprayed plenty with his Tec-9 into the Cafeteria. Was he just taking his sweet time?.....my mind never stops about the decisions of those 2 that morning.

I think I can answer that one. We tend to look at the shooting as a one sided terror-show, but I imagine singly facing over 200 people in the cafeteria was not a reassuring experience for Dylan.

His Tec-9 had only semi-auto mode, moreover (correct me if I'm wrong) it had already jammed on the big clip when he was outside. I imagine he didn't want to find himself without Eric, facing that huge mass of people with a two-shot shotgun and a gun that he knows can easily jam on him.

Great thought there. I really enjoyed your point of view. Thankyou

[quote="Adzybear"]

Adzybear wrote:

Great thought there. I really enjoyed your point of view. Thankyou

Thanks. I think that's the most obvious explanation why he didn't try to single-handedly storm the cafeteria.

The end of the library shooting is far more puzzling. They were both there to support one another. They were already controlling everyone there with fear. They met no opposition, except the failed attempt by the freshman Daniel Mauser. They certainly had little to fear and had the capacity to kill off pretty much everyone.

There's certainly not a certain answer to that. I personally think that, despite the triumphal shouts from Dylan, it was in fact Eric who was the motor of the shooting there. Once he broke his nose and decided to go check the bombs, Dylan didn't really press to kill the rest.

If Eric had not broken his nose, would he stop the library shooting? Who knows? Maybe not, maybe then everyone would die (except maybe for people they knew like John Savage or Amanda Stair).