A National Tragedy

2000 Interview Between Billy Hallowell and Richard Hoover

BILLY: Hi Richard!  What grade are you in at Columbine High School, and how old are you?

RICHARD: I am 18, and I am a Senior at Columbine High School.

BILLY: Well, I am going to start by asking you how your day started out the morning of the shooting.  Did you expect that your day would be different from any other?

RICHARD: No, I woke up, went to school, went on with my first 3 classes like normal.  It was a typical day.

BILLY: When you arrived at school did everything seem normal to you, nothing out of the ordinary?

RICHARD: Not one thing.

BILLY: Where were you when you realized that there was a problem, and how did you find out about the problem?

RICHARD: I was in the weight room when the shooting started.  We got out from the noise of the fire alarm.  We all thought it was a normal fire drill at first, but when we got outside people were running, crying, and we heard something that sounded like fire works.  Then we saw a cop on a motorcycle.  At that point people started yelling at us to run.

BILLY: What did you do when you got outside of the school?

RICHARD: I walked over to a nearby park.  Cops were showing there by the dozens from counties all over the state.

BILLY: What was your first thought?

RICHARD: First I thought it was a prank or something, but then I talked to friends who were serious.  Then I thought it was some psychos doing something, like a terrorist attack.

BILLY: Did you expect that Harris, and/or Klebold were responsible for this?

RICHARD: Not at all.

BILLY: What was it like waiting for your friends who hadn't made it out of Columbine High School yet?

RICHARD: Awful.  I didn't know if anyone was shot.  Friends that I hadn't talked to in awhile--it didn't matter--it was like I had a checklist.  Parents were coming up to me, asking me if I knew their kid, if I had seen them, or if they were even alive.

BILLY: What a horrible thing to go through.  Well now that we have an idea of what was going on the day of the shooting, I have a few questions about Dylan Klebold, and Eric Harris.  How did the kids in the school generally treat Klebold, and Harris?

RICHARD: Eric, and Dylan [ostracized] themselves.  They really did.  Kids treated them like outcasts, because they wouldn't talk to anyone, and they didn't like anyone.

BILLY: Did you see Dylan Klebold, or Eric Harris at all the morning of the shooting?

RICHARD: No I didn't see Dylan, or Eric.

BILLY: Have you ever had any contact with the two?

RICHARD: Yes.  I was good friends with Dylan when I was younger.  He was on my baseball team, and we were family friends (my family) with the Klebolds.

BILLY: Going back to your friends, and the long wait to find out information, how many of your friends were affected?

RICHARD: I lost 6 friends.  One of my other friends had to play dead.  His friend on his left, and his friend on his right were both shot/killed.  He got out ok, and found out that his sister was dead.

BILLY: That all must have been so hard for you.  When were you able to go to school at Columbine again, and what was your first thought when you walked in for the first time after the shooting?

RICHARD: We went back the August of the next school year.  Two weeks after the shooting, we went to another local school (to finish the year off).  When I walked back into Columbine, I had a chill going down my spine.

BILLY: I can totally imagine.  Now I know that you are currently attending Columbine, and I have to ask, are things totally back to normal?

RICHARD: Somewhat, I mean, it's still on our minds.  Everyday we get away from it. More and more it gets back to normal.  When the class next year graduates, there will be a whole new student body with kids who weren't there the day of the shooting. 

BILLY: My last question for you is, If you could say one thing to the youth of America today to prevent another event like this from occurring, what would you say?

RICHARD: We need to look at teasing, and the way we treat others, and also warning signs.  Parents, and teachers also have a lot to do with it.

BILLY: Thanks so much for taking this time to talk with me and share your experiences.  I have learned so much, and on behalf of myself and TEEN WEB ONLINE, I would like to say "God Bless You!"