Eric Harris biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Mass murderer Eric Harris was born on April 9, 1981, in Wichita, Kansas. Along with his friend Dylan Klebold, Harris shot and killed 13 people and wounded more than 20 others at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. The son of an Air Force pilot, Harris moved around several times as a child. While living in Plattsburgh, New York, he seemed like a regular kid, playing little league baseball. The Harris family moved to Littleton, Colorado, in 1993, after his father retired from the military. Eric slowly began to change. In his new hometown, he was a decent soccer player and wore preppy style clothing, but had a hard time fitting in at school.

Aggressive Behavior

During high school, Harris became close friends with Dylan Klebold, another social outcast. While Harris was talkative and volatile, Klebold was shy and reserved. But they both hated the school and its jock culture and anyone else that they believed had mistreated them -- a common bond that would prove deadly. They were computer savvy and enjoyed playing violent video games.

By the second year at Columbine High School, Harris had become visibly different, dressing like the school's outsider clique, the Trench Coat Mafia, by wearing long coats, dark clothes and boots. But he and Klebold were really only fringe members of group. Harris was often hassled by other students for his weird looks and odd behavior. Both Harris and Klebold studied German and became enamored with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. They wore swastikas and sometimes gave the "Heil, Hitler" salute.

Unlike Klebold, Harris' rage was often visible and apparent. Angry at a friend, he threw an ice ball into his windshield, cracking the glass, and later threatened to kill that same person on his website. The site was filled with violent tirades against anyone and everyone that Harris disliked or thought had done him wrong.

In 1998, Harris and Klebold, both high school juniors, were arrested after stealing items from a van they broke into. They were charged with theft, criminal mischief and criminal trespassing. Since it was their first offense, they were enrolled in a diversion program, which consisted of community service and counseling. They were released a month early from program in February 1999 -- only two months before their rampage. Both received glowing reports at the end of the program with Harris being called "a bright young man who is likely to succeed in life," according to an article in The Christian Science Monitor.

A strong student, Harris earned good grades, but his schoolwork often featured violent imagery and gory details. Sometime after his arrest, he began planning an attack on his school with Klebold.