Students mark Columbine’s 19th anniversary with nationwide walkouts
Students walk towards the Capitol April 20, 2018. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
Nineteen years ago today, at 11:19 am, high school students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris walked into Columbine High School in Colorado and opened fire. They killed 12 students and a teacher, injured 23 others, and killed themselves in the library just after noon. Five hours passed before the situation was under control.
Fast forward: Starting at 10am today, students across the nation, including those from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, have been staging more than 2,600 walkouts to honor the 19th anniversary of the massacre and demand action from lawmakers on gun legislation, according to the National School Walkout organizer’s web site.
To see where walkouts are near you, check out the organizer’s map and zip code search function. There's at least one walkout in every state, per the organizers.
Columbine High School is closed today, a commemorative practice it has held annually since the shooting, along with a day of service. Some Columbine students held a vigil and a voter registration rally Thursday evening, which included students from Parkland, Florida, per the AP.
Situational awareness: Today, a student was shot at a high school in Ocala, Florida. A suspect is in police custody.
What we're seeing around the country:
Students in Chicago joined in the walkout against gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School. Photo: Jim Young/Getty Images
Palo Verde High School student Mallory McKissick participates in the National School Walkout in Las Vegas. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Amit Dadon, a 2017 graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, participating in the April 20th protests in D.C. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Students take part in a rally for National School Walkout Day to protest school violence. Photo: Jim Young/Getty Images
Students from Washington-Lee High School join the National School Walkout in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
