Eric Harris

Everyone knew of them, but no one really knew them, and that was part of their problem. Now, it's a problem for families and friends of their victims, and the larger community of grieving Coloradans, who find themselves grappling with the ultimate question: Who were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, and what made them turn from innocuous nerds into heartless killers, able to engineer and execute the destruction of their school and the devastation of their town?

NEW YORK - As parents of young girls and as two of Hollywood's most prolific producers, Kathy Kennedy and Frank Marshall believed that "Columbine," journalist Dave Cullen's exhaustive investigation of the 1999 school massacre, contained compelling and often untold stories that needed to be shared with a larger audience. So when the book was published five years ago, the producers of "Lincoln" and "The Bourne Identity" purchased its rights, hoping to turn "Columbine" into a feature directed by "The Social Network's" David Fincher.

NEW YORK - As parents of young girls and as two of Hollywood's most prolific producers, Kathy Kennedy and Frank Marshall believed that "Columbine," journalist Dave Cullen's exhaustive investigation of the 1999 school massacre, contained compelling and often untold stories that needed to be shared with a larger audience. So when the book was published five years ago, the producers of "Lincoln" and "The Bourne Identity" purchased its rights, hoping to turn "Columbine" into a feature directed by "The Social Network's" David Fincher.

It was the "worst-case scenario," according to notes recovered by police in western Oregon. In that plan, according to newly revealed court documents, Grant Acord wrote that he was going to go to his first-period class at West Albany High School, duck out to the parking lot, throw a firebomb and then "cooly state" a line from the movie "Bad Boys II" right before the carnage began: "The Russian Grim Reaper is here. " But Acord, 17, was arrested before carrying out any such plan at the 1,400-student school.

The parents of two teenagers who carried out the Columbine High School massacre and two men who furnished them weapons have agreed to pay $2.65 million to victims in a partial settlement, lawyers said Thursday, the eve of the second anniversary of the shooting. The parents of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold have agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to the victims, to be covered by their insurance carriers.

From the family of Eric Harris "We want to express our heartfelt sympathy to the families of all the victims and to all the community for this senseless tragedy. Please say prayers [for] everyone touched by these terrible events. The Harris family is devastated by the deaths of the Columbine High students and is mourning the death of their youngest son, Eric." From the family of Dylan Klebold "We cannot begin to convey our overwhelming sense of sorrow for everyone affected by this tragedy.

Colorado detectives have confirmed that the two teenagers who carried out the bloody massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton last year worked alone, a newspaper said. The Denver Post said detectives had checked out at least 4,500 leads, conducted more than 5,000 interviews and examined more than 10,000 pieces of evidence as they probed the April attack that left 15 dead, including the two gunmen, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17.

When it comes to events like the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn., there are knowns, unknowns and, already, mis-knowns. A photograph of Ryan Lanza circulated asserting he was the shooter, when in fact it was his brother, Adam Lanza. Their mother, Nancy Lanza, whom Adam killed, was reported to have been a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary, where the other shootings took place -- but she was not. The story of what happened Friday when 20 children and seven adults were killed has been written and rewritten, and it probably will be rewritten again.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. - In a new book, the mother of one of the Columbine High School killers admitted that on that terrible morning, as she realized her son was involved, she prayed he would not emerge alive. “I had a sudden vision of what he might be doing. And so while every other mother in Littleton was praying that her child was safe, I had to pray that mine would die before he hurt anyone else,” Sue Klebold told author Andrew Solomon, whose book, “Far From The Tree,” explores the family life of atypical children, including those who commit crimes.

The movie theater massacre that took place in Aurora, Colo., early Friday morning unfolded about 15 miles from the scene of the Columbine High School shootings. Residents of Littleton, Colo., who lived through that 1999 rampage were badly shaken Friday morning by news of the latest bloodshed. The shooting at a midnight screening of the new Batman film,"The Dark Knight Rises," killed 12 people and injured at least 50. The Columbine shooting killed 12 students and 1 teacher; the two gunmen took their own lives as well.

When it comes to events like the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn., there are knowns, unknowns and, already, mis-knowns. A photograph of Ryan Lanza circulated asserting he was the shooter, when in fact it was his brother, Adam Lanza. Their mother, Nancy Lanza, whom Adam killed, was reported to have been a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary, where the other shootings took place -- but she was not. The story of what happened Friday when 20 children and seven adults were killed has been written and rewritten, and it probably will be rewritten again.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. - In a new book, the mother of one of the Columbine High School killers admitted that on that terrible morning, as she realized her son was involved, she prayed he would not emerge alive. “I had a sudden vision of what he might be doing. And so while every other mother in Littleton was praying that her child was safe, I had to pray that mine would die before he hurt anyone else,” Sue Klebold told author Andrew Solomon, whose book, “Far From The Tree,” explores the family life of atypical children, including those who commit crimes.

The movie theater massacre that took place in Aurora, Colo., early Friday morning unfolded about 15 miles from the scene of the Columbine High School shootings. Residents of Littleton, Colo., who lived through that 1999 rampage were badly shaken Friday morning by news of the latest bloodshed. The shooting at a midnight screening of the new Batman film,"The Dark Knight Rises," killed 12 people and injured at least 50. The Columbine shooting killed 12 students and 1 teacher; the two gunmen took their own lives as well.

The mother of Columbine killer Dylan Klebold says she has been studying suicide in the decade since the high school massacre but had no idea her son was suicidal until she read his journals after his death. Susan Klebold's essay in next month's issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, is the most detailed response yet from any of the parents of Columbine killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. The teenagers killed 12 students and a teacher in the 1999 shooting rampage at Columbine High School in suburban Denver.

Columbine Dave Cullen Twelve: 420 pp., $26.99 -- Forget everything you thought you knew. The girl who professed her faith in God before being gunned down in the library. The Trenchcoat Mafia and the feud between the goths and jocks.

An independent investigation released Wednesday found that a student slain during the Columbine High School massacre was not killed by a police officer as his parents have long claimed. The report concluded that Daniel Rohrbough, 15, was shot by Eric Harris, one of two teen gunmen whose rampage killed 12 classmates and a teacher three years ago. The 1,200-page report by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office contradicted the official Columbine investigation on several points.

A man who allegedly introduced the two Columbine High School killers to a man who sold them a semiautomatic gun has been arrested, authorities said Thursday. Philip Duran, 22, is accused of providing a gun to a minor, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of six years. He is also accused of possessing a dangerous or illegal weapon, which carries a term of up to three years in prison. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, stormed Columbine High in Littleton, Colo.

It was the "worst-case scenario," according to notes recovered by police in western Oregon. In that plan, according to newly revealed court documents, Grant Acord wrote that he was going to go to his first-period class at West Albany High School, duck out to the parking lot, throw a firebomb and then "cooly state" a line from the movie "Bad Boys II" right before the carnage began: "The Russian Grim Reaper is here. " But Acord, 17, was arrested before carrying out any such plan at the 1,400-student school.

The parents of two teenagers who carried out the Columbine High School massacre and two men who furnished them weapons have agreed to pay $2.65 million to victims in a partial settlement, lawyers said Thursday, the eve of the second anniversary of the shooting. The parents of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold have agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to the victims, to be covered by their insurance carriers.

I am angry with the media for devoting so much time and coverage to Columbine. But what I am even more angry about is the way Columbine has sparked the media's attention in teens and teen issues. One year later, the press is still analyzing every insignificant detail about Columbine--the dangers of cliques, and the effects of playing violent video games, listening to punk music or watching annihilating movies. It's as if Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold represent my generation.