It concludes: "Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing. If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns." Columbine victims' families outraged by release of shooting videotapes The Associated Press GOLDEN, Colo. (April 26, 2000 5:41 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - To the horror of the Columbine victims' families, law enforcement authorities released a video Wednesday containing footage from the shooting, with some of it set eerily to a pop music soundtrack. The material included helicopter footage of efforts to reach the victims outside the school. The video also showed the damaged cafeteria, bullet- riddled classrooms and the library, where 10 students were killed. "It hurts. They have pictures from the helicopter of (rescue workers) dragging Richard by his feet," said Connie Michalik, whose son, Richard Castaldo, was shot outside the school and left paralyzed. Although the library footage was filmed after the bodies were removed, "pools of blood on the carpet are very obvious, with tags marking where those victims fell, all set to a musical background," said attorney James Rouse, who represents some victims' families. "Each one of those pools of blood is where someone's child died or was seriously wounded." Jefferson County Attorney Frank Hutfless released the tapes to the victims' families on Tuesday under a court order after a judge ruled that the relatives have an "undeniable and compelling public interest" in seeing the footage. For reasons unexplained, the county attorney also made copies available to the public Wednesday for $25. Six victims' relatives had sued to gain access to the tapes to prove authorities mishandled the rescue and failed to heed warnings of the rampage. Authorities have denied those allegations. But many Columbine families had hoped the tapes would not be released to the public as well. The tapes depict the carnage of April 20, 1999, when two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed 12 classmates and a teacher, wounded 23 others and committed suicide. "I'm totally disgusted they're selling the tapes for $25," Michalik said. "Where is the $25 going? We had to fight like crazy to even get these tapes released." Other relatives were outraged that the 30-minute videotape, adapted by a Littleton firefighter for the training of police and fire personnel around the country, contained added background music, including "If It Were Up To Me," by Cheryl Wheeler. Lyrics include the lines: "Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books, maybe it's the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks, maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents." It concludes: "Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing. If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns." Rouse, the relatives' lawyer, said some family members turned down the audio as they watched. "I don't know why you'd call it a training video. It's more of a documentary with a musical background," Rouse said. Officials with the Jefferson County sheriff's and attorney's offices would not comment. Littleton spokeswoman Kelli Narde defended the tape, saying it was put to good use in 82 training seminars conducted in the United States and Canada. "In the unfortunate event that another school shooting does take place, the Littleton Fire Department believes that it has provided a valuable service to educate other public safety officials," she said. None of the cafeteria scenes shows students getting shot, but they do capture students scattering as the gunmen detonate a bomb and begin shooting. The other section consists of footage shot by KCNC-TV photographers as a helicopter hovered over the school during the rampage. During the past year, the sheriff's office has angered Columbine families by circulating a portion of the cafeteria surveillance tape that eventually ended up on television and the Internet. A 90-second segment was broadcast in October when it was leaked to CBS after being shown as part of a training video at a firefighters' seminar in Albuquerque, N.M. Sheriff John P. Stone later called the release of the training video an embarrassment and ordered all copies returned to his office. In December, Time magazine published a cover story based on five of the gunmen's own videotapes that the sheriff's office showed to a reporter. Stone maintained they were shown only for background purposes, which Time has denied. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Wingate California Director SKYWATCH INTERNATIONAL Anomalous Images and UFO Files http://www.anomalous-images.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html <A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
