Examples Of Informative Speech On Columbine Shooting

4/20 “Fun” in Littleton

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the horrible tragedy of the Columbine Massacre.

Introduction: It was Tuesday, April 20, 1999. It was an exciting day for me in the fourth grade when I turned 9 years old. However, the people of Littleton, Colorado remember that day as something more and definitely less exciting than my birthday was. On April 20, 1999 Littleton Colorado experienced what we now know as the Columbine Massacre. Two seniors at Columbine High School, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold completed this act killing 12 students, 1 teacher, and injured 21 others before committing suicide. Why would anyone want to commit such a horrific crime? Today I am going to talk to you about the boys and their preparations, the massacre itself, and the aftermath.

Transition: I will begin by describing the yearlong preparation that Eric and Dylan completed.

In January of 1998, the boys were caught stealing a car. While they were completing volunteer hours, seeing counselors and convincing everyone that they were sincere; they were actually also making elaborate plans for a massacre at their high school. According to About.com, a year before the
shooting, Eric and Dylan wrote about killing and retaliation in each other’s yearbooks. Within that year, the boys purchased many types of firearms and searched the internet finding ways to make advanced bombs. They planned to set the bombs for 11:17am in the cafeteria where over 500 students would be. They wanted to kill as many people as possible. After the massacre, the FBI found journals filled with Dylan and Eric’s detailed plans. There were illustrations of people in trenchcoats including where everything would be carried from knives to bullets. Also, from www.acolumbinesite.com, they show a page from Dylan’s journal including the schedule of events to occur. Even though the massacre wasn’t as large as intended, the boys spent a lot of time preparing for the attack at Columbine high school.
Transition: Now that I have discussed the intense preparation involved with the event, I will continue to put in plain words the details involved with the actual massacre. Dylan and Eric arrived at their high school at 11:10am on April 20th, 1999. They proceeded to enter the school with two duffel bags full of two 20-pound bombs and put them in the cafeteria. No one noticed the bags because they blended in with everyone else’s backpacks. The boys left the school and waited for the explosion. Time passed and nothing happened. After warning a classmate in the parking lot to go home, they decided to go into the school. Within a few yards of the school, they made their first few shots at Rachel Scott and Richard Castaldo. Rachel was killed instantly and Richard survived but was severely injured. Dylan and Eric advanced into the school where their second encounter was with three boys leaving the cafeteria. They shot them all eventually killing one. A teacher heard the commotion and assuming it was some sort of senior prank, she told them to knock it off. She and another student were shot and injured. The teacher ran down the hall and ran into the library to warn students to take cover. Eric soon after had an encounter with a police officer and the police officer realized he needed to call for help. The boys continued to fire down the hall-ways and in the cafeteria injuring many other students including teacher, Dave Sanders. Dave made it into a science classroom where they attempted to assist him and put a sign in the window reading, “1 bleeding to death.” Because of the excessive bleeding and lack of medical attention for a long period of time, Dave died. Moments later, Eric and Dylan advanced to the library where they would murder many more. One of the most memorable instances was with Cassie Bernall. She was hiding under a table when according to www.about.com, Eric banged on the table looked underneath saying, “peek-a-boo” before shooting Cassie in the head and killing her. It was also debated whether or not Cassie was asked if she believed in god before being shot. The boys also managed to injure many others in the library, killing 9 of them. They wandered around the school for about 20 minutes doing foolish things before returning to the library. After shooting out the windows, the two shot themselves around 12:08. However, because no-one saw them commit suicide, it took quite some time for police to clear the building.
Transition: You have now heard some of the basic details about the massacre, and I will continue on with the after-math of the horrible tragedy. Some may believe that Eric and Dylan targeted certain people.
However, no matter their intentions, they killed a diverse group of people. Some were nerds, actors, jocks, freshmen, and seniors. Because of this, no one knows why the two would commit such a horrific crime. According to the article, “In sorrow and disbelief,” the students planted crosses nearby for the memorials of students killed. There are four pink crosses for the girls, nine blue crosses for the boys, and two black crosses farther away, for the killers. This led to controversy because some people did not think they should have memorials for the killers. Eventually, the two black crosses were removed. In response to columbine, new gun control laws were passed, and school security around the country was
improved. I have now told you about the preparations, the massacre itself and the aftermath of the horrible tragedy in Littleton, Colorado. Columbine high school was a nice high school in a fun city, probably similar to a high school in Overland Park. The massacre should open our eyes and realize that it does not have to be a low-class high school for terrible things like this to happen. It is important to recognize the acts of potential shooters so that situations like this do not continue to happen. Columbine massacre was a serious and life-changing event that people will forever remember.