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School killer's 'death manifesto'

Andrew Gumbel,Colorado
Saturday 24 April 1999 18:02 EDT
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INVESTIGATORS INTO the Colorado high school shooting said yesterday police had received an e-mailed "death manifesto" apparently written by one of the dead gunmen, Eric Harris, in which he blamed parents and teachers for driving him to mass murder and threatened further violence to come.

"Your children who have ridaculed [sic] me, who have chosen not to accept me, who have treated me like I am not worth their time are dead. THEY ARE F-ING DEAD," said the note, which was dated 19 April, the day before Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students, a teacher and themselves.

"You need to face the fact that this comes as a result of YOUR CHOICES. Parents and Teachers, YOU F-ED UP. You have taught these kids to be gears and sheep ... I may have taken their lives and my own - but it was your doing. Teachers, Parents, LET THIS MASSACRE BE ON YOUR SHOULDERS UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE."

Police said they received the manifesto anonymously by e-mail but were taking it very seriously, particularly since it threatened further violence.

"You may think the horror ends with the bullet in my head - but you wouldn't be so lucky," the note concluded. "All that I can leave you with to decipher what more extensive death there is to come is '12Skizto'. You have until April 26th. Goodbye."

A spokesman said investigators had some ideas what the codeword might mean.

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