⠀⠀⠀⠀𓎢𓎟𓎡⠀ ݁🕯️⠀⠀dylan bennet klebold⠀⠀၇ৎܵ⠀𓎢𓎟𓎡
Dylan Bennet Klebold
Date of Birth: September 11, 1981
Height: 6 ft 2.5 in
Weight: 143 lbs
Dylan Klebold was the 17-year-old son of Mr. Thomas Klebold (then 52) and Mrs. Susan (Yassenoff) Klebold (then 50). He was the younger brother of Byron, who was 21 at the time.
Tom Klebold was a geophysicist, and Sue Klebold worked with individuals with disabilities. Both were originally from Columbus, Ohio, and were alumni of Ohio State University. Sue hailed from a prominent Jewish community in Columbus and was the granddaughter of the late philanthropist and construction magnate Leo Yassenoff, who established the local Jewish community center in Columbus that bears his name. Dylan was born in Lakewood, Colorado.
Dylan attended Normandy Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado, for first and second grade before transferring to Governor's Ranch Elementary School, where he participated in the CHIPS (Challenging High Intellectual Potential Students) program for gifted and talented children. His parents reported that he was somewhat sheltered at Governor's Ranch Elementary and believed his transition to Ken Caryl Middle School was challenging due to his quiet and shy demeanor. Transitioning from elementary school to middle school can be difficult for many adolescents, so his parents were not overly concerned.
During his earlier school years, Dylan participated in T-ball, baseball, and soccer. He was in Cub Scouts with his friend Brooks Brown, whom he had known since first grade. Dylan met Eric Harris while attending Ken Caryl Middle School in seventh or eighth grade. Brooks lived near Eric's new home and rode the same bus as him. The three boys soon formed a close friendship. Subsequently, Eric introduced Dylan to Nathan (Nate) Dykeman, who also attended Ken Caryl, and the boys became good friends. Dylan also met Chris Morris around that time, and they would eventually become best friends.
In 1995, all four boys transitioned to Columbine High School as freshmen. At Columbine, Dylan was active in school productions as a light and sound coordinator and was involved in video productions and the school’s Rebel News Network. He created several videos with Nate for the Rebel News Network announcements and another in November 1998 to show Nate's father his school and home environment.
Klebold received commendation for assisting during Rachel Scott's performance of "Watch the Lamb" when technical difficulties arose; he provided a backup tape to ensure the show could continue. He served as a computer assistant at school and helped maintain the school's computer server. He regularly played Fantasy Baseball with Chad Laughlin. Other players noted that he discussed plays happening the week of April 20, giving no indication he would not be present after that Tuesday.
Neighbors of the Klebold family described them as a model family. Sherry Higgins, the mother of a friend of Dylan and Eric, commented on the teens' "Hitmen for Hire" video, stating it was presented to her as a spoof about hitmen avenging the weak at Columbine. In retrospect, she acknowledged that this should have been a warning sign regarding Dylan's state of mind.
Following the shooting, Dylan's parents initially maintained they were unaware of their son's troubling behavior. Reports indicated that Sue was shocked by her son's actions, stating she had no forewarning of the forthcoming tragedy. Dylan's older brother Byron also expressed surprise at his younger brother's actions. The only firearm the family owned was a BB gun intended for pest control. Friends of Dylan noted that, while they observed Eric being bullied at school, they did not witness similar treatment directed at Klebold, who was perceived as too tall, too lanky, and too overlooked by those outside his friend group.
However, it was evident that Dylan was grappling with internal issues. Years later, Dylan's parents acknowledged in interviews that they had overlooked signs of his unhappiness, failing to recognize the clues that were apparent in hindsight.
Columbine's senior prom took place on April 17, 1999. Dylan attended the event by limousine with 12 friends. Nate Dykeman reported that nothing seemed amiss that evening; everything went "perfect." Dylan spoke enthusiastically about his future plans, which included attending the University of Arizona to major in computer science. He conveyed to his friends that he was genuinely excited about his future. His parents had already secured a dorm room for him. The entire family traveled to Arizona on March 25, 1999, to finalize Dylan's accommodations.
Dylan's prom date was Robyn K. Anderson, a friend he had met at a Christmas party years earlier. As a senior at Columbine, she attended the event with him as a platonic friend, not a romantic interest. Contrary to early media reports, Robyn and Dylan were not involved romantically; while Robyn had a crush on him, Dylan did not reciprocate. She proudly proclaimed to another male friend shortly before the prom, "I convinced my friend Dylan, who hates dances, jocks, and has never had a date, let alone a girlfriend, to go with me! I am either really cute or just really persuasive!"
Robyn Anderson assisted in the purchase of the two shotguns and the rifle used in the assault, acting as a middleman since Dylan and Eric were not yet 18, the legal age to purchase firearms in Colorado. Dylan boasted on one of the Basement Tapes that the seller was aware he was purchasing the gun. Shortly before the acquisition, the owner of Dragon Arms gun shop in Littleton reported that five teenagers attempted to purchase an M-60 machine gun and a silencer-equipped assault pistol in early March. Although the five appeared on store surveillance footage, it remains unclear if any of them were Dylan or Eric.
Dylan was frequently described as a follower, heavily influenced by Eric, particularly after 1998. Those who knew him characterized him as a young man lacking self-confidence—"painfully shy," according to some—but not prone to anger.
This shy demeanor is not universally recalled by those who knew him, particularly those closest to him in the months leading up to the shootings. His and Eric's behavior at Blackjack Pizza, where they worked, did not conform to this image. When bored, they purchased dry ice from a nearby Baskin-Robbins to create small bombs for detonation behind the pizza establishment. Dylan was once reprimanded for bringing a pipe bomb to work. He resigned shortly thereafter but was rehired when the restaurant required staff. On at least two occasions, the previous owner permitted Dylan and Eric to ignite aerosol cans—once in a mop sink and another in an oven. They frequently engaged in reckless fireplay behind the establishment, resulting in a dumpster fire that necessitated intervention from the fire department.
Dylan was known to use profanity in front of teachers and was suspended from school (along with Eric and another student) for hacking into the school's computer system to obtain locker combinations, which they used to leave a threatening note in an adversary's locker. Nate Dykeman reported that Dylan and Eric had taken computer parts from the school without permission. Dylan's father had previously compelled him to return a stolen laptop computer. A dean of students, who had seen Dylan and Eric in his office multiple times, told police he was not surprised they were involved, having observed "the potential for an 'evil side'... that there was a violent, angry streak in these kids."
Students in their early morning bowling class reported that Dylan and Eric would shout "Heil Hitler!" after rolling a good ball. Tom Klebold stated he was unaware of the origins of the Nazi references or the violence. The Klebolds were Jewish. Nate mentioned he had seen Eric draw swastikas, but Dylan never did, making it difficult to ascertain how much Dylan supported the Nazi movement. This inclination would seem inconsistent with the background of a Jewish-born individual, as would the violent tendencies he concealed from his family.
Dykeman informed police that he had witnessed Dylan making a purchase behind Blackjack Pizza, giving Philip Duran, a co-worker, approximately 200−200−300. Nate suspected Dylan was buying drugs, but Dylan clarified he was purchasing a gun (the TEC-DC9, which Mark Manes supplied with Philip's assistance as an intermediary). Following the acquisition of weapons, Eric and Dylan filmed a video at Rampart Range, where they practiced shooting the sawed-off shotguns and the TEC-DC9. Mark and his friend Jessica Miklich were present during this session. The videotape of their target practice was recorded in March and shown to Nate just two weeks before the Columbine shootings. Dykeman reported the existence of the tape to investigators three days post-tragedy.
In the weeks leading up to the massacre, Dylan submitted a school report that was graphically violent, prompting the teacher to inform his parents. Dylan rationalized, "It's just a story," an explanation readily accepted by his parents. The narrative detailed a lone warrior in a trench coat who—described in gruesome detail—beat, stabbed, and shot a group of "college-preps." The character then detonated bombs to divert the police's attention. The language used to characterize the "enemies" was so extreme that the teacher, Judy Kelly, refused to grade the paper until she spoke with Dylan. The families of three victims named Kelly, alongside other school employees, filed wrongful death lawsuits, arguing she should have taken more action to highlight Dylan's violent fantasies.
The Klebolds fully cooperated with Denver police in the aftermath of the massacre. Among the evidence confiscated were five videotapes, three of which featured the teens in the basement of Eric's home. In these videos, Dylan's darker side emerged; he was not merely a hapless follower of Eric. Instead, he exhibited characteristics of an angry young man intent on causing harm, evident in both his words and body language.
Dylan and Eric vented frustrations about their peers, referring to them as "stuck-up bitches." Dylan specifically named two individuals: Rachel and Jen. Clips from the videos were censored by the media due to the vulgar epithets he directed at the girls, making it difficult to interpret their full context. They also mentioned someone named Nick. Rachel Scott—the first victim—was the prom date of Nick Baumgart, a childhood friend of Dylan and a mutual acquaintance of Eric. Dylan had known Rachel since kindergarten, though it is unclear if these were the individuals referred to in the video.
In October 1999, the Klebolds announced their intention to sue the Jefferson County police department. Their claim was based on the assertion that had the police taken the Browns' report about Eric's threats against Brooks more seriously, the situation might not have escalated to tragedy. Several families of the victims expressed support for this position, including the family of Daniel Rohrbough.
There was some controversy surrounding Dylan's death; he succumbed to a single gunshot wound to the left temple. Investigators initially posited that if Dylan intended to commit suicide, he would have shot himself in the right temple. However, Dylan was left-handed, and his use of firearms with his left hand is evident in the video footage he left behind. The coroner classified his death as a suicide in the autopsy report. The Klebolds' attorney, Frank Patterson, confirmed on behalf of the family that Dylan was indeed left-handed, and they supported the medical examiner's findings.
Open Letter from the Parents of Dylan Klebold:
Nearly a year has passed since tragedy changed the Columbine community forever. A day that began innocently ended catastrophically. The healing process has moved slowly as we all attempt to cope, not only with our own despair but also with the distractions and intrusions that result from world attention.
There are no words to convey how sorry we are for the pain that has been brought upon the community as a result of our son's actions. The pain of others compounds our own as we struggle to live a life without the son we cherished. In the reality of the Columbine tragedy and its aftermath, we join the rest of the world in seeking to understand how such events could transpire.
We are convinced that the only way to truly honor all victims of this and other related tragedies is to move clearly and methodically toward an understanding of why they occur, so that we may work to prevent such madness from happening again. It is our intention to pursue this goal, believing that answers are likely within reach, though they will not be simple. We envision a time when circumstances will allow us to engage with those who share our desire to understand. In the meantime, we again express our profound condolences to those whose lives have been so tragically altered. We look forward to a day when our collective pain is replaced by peace and acceptance.
Finally, we wish to extend our gratitude to those who have sent their kind thoughts, prayers, and expressions of support to our family. We are constantly surprised and heartened by the gestures of understanding and compassion that have been extended to us. This support has been both humbling and inspiring, and we are truly indebted to those who have offered it.
The Klebold Family — April 15, 2000
September 11, 1981 - April 20, 1999
Dylan was a reserved individual who enjoyed playing computer games such as Duke Nukem, Quake, and Doom, and he built his own computer with a Linux operating system. He exhibited high intelligence and was enrolled in the gifted program at Governor's Ranch Elementary School known as C.H.I.P.S. (Challenging High Intellectual Potential Students) by third grade. This program concluded after sixth grade. While attending Columbine, Dylan took pleasure in creating home videos for his video production class and was heavily involved in theater productions, managing the sound system.
Dylan often felt awkward around his peers and was unaware of the extent to which he was loved by his friends and family. He experienced feelings of isolation and alienation and longed for a type of love he believed was unattainable.
Dylan's funeral was held at St. Philip Lutheran Church, the family’s place of worship. The service was private, attended by only 13 individuals, and was officiated by Reverend Don Marxhausen, who subsequently resigned from his position in August 2000. Reverend Marxhausen also officiated the funeral of basketball star Greg Barnes.
Dylan was cremated, and there is no known physical memorial location.
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