MOST OF THE victims were typical teen-agers. Some were making plans for college, others were learning to play the guitar, studying to get a driver’s license or working to save up enough money for a car.
A veteran teacher was killed, too, trying to save his students. Coach Dave Sanders was a father of two daughters and a devoted granddad.
Cassie Bernall, 17, became a born-again Christian two years ago and was active in church youth programs and Bible study groups. Bernall recently visited Great Britain. Her favorite movie was said to be Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart.”
Steven Curnow, 14, dreamed of being a Navy top gun and piloting an F-16. He had seen the “Star Wars” movies so often he could recite dialogue from the films. Curnow played soccer as a boy and later worked as a referee to earn pocket money.
Corey DePooter, 17, was a good student who loved to golf, hunt and fish. A former wrestler, he recently took a maintenance job at a golf club to save up for a fishing boat with a friend. DePooter hid under a library table with friends as the gunmen sprayed bullets at floor level.
Kelly Fleming, 16, was an aspiring songwriter and author who wrote scores of poems and short stories based on her life experiences. She was learning to play the guitar. Fleming moved from Phoenix 18 months ago and was eager to get her driver’s license and a part-time job. She was shot in the library.
Matthew Ketcher, 16, was a junior who had hoped to start for the football team. Ketcher lifted weights and played on offensive and defensive lines. He maintained an A average in school. Ketcher was shot in the library after he tried to reach friends hiding in an adjacent video room.
Daniel Mauser, 15, was a sophomore who excelled in math and science, and earned straight A’s on his last report card. Mauser ran cross country and joined the debate team. He liked to ski, camp and recently returned from a two-week trip to Paris with the French club. Mauser was hoping to get his driver’s license next year.
Daniel Rohrbough, 15, helped in his father’s electronics business and worked on family farms in Kansas during the summer. He enjoyed computer games, stereos and home theater systems. Rohrbough was shot while holding an exit door open for fleeing students.
William “Dave” Sanders, 47, was a computer and business teacher for 24 years. Sanders coached girls’ basketball and softball; his basketball team posted a winning record in his first year, 1997-98, after finishing next-to-last the year before. He was married with two daughters and five grandchildren. Sanders was shot twice in the chest in a burst of gunfire while leading two-dozen students down a hallway to safety. He survived at least three hours, until students were rescued. Students said as Sanders lay dying, he asked them to please tell his children that “he loved them.”
Rachel Scott, 17, played the lead in a student-written school play, “Smoke in the Room.” Active in the Celebration Christian Fellowship church, she also liked photography and was hoping to work as a missionary in Africa. Scott earned good grades while working at a Subway sandwich shop to pay off the car she had borrowed from her parents. During the shooting rampage, her younger brother Craig, 16, played dead in the library and helped lead others to safety.
Isaiah Shoels, 18, was due to graduate in May. He suffered health problems as a child and had heart surgery twice. Shoels wanted to attend an arts college and become a music executive. He was small in stature, but played football, wrestled and could bench-press twice his weight. Shoels transferred from Lakewood High School. He was shot in the head execution-style in the school library specifically because of his race and athletic interests, witnesses said.
John Tomlin, 16, enjoyed driving off-road in his Chevy pickup. He worked after school in a gardening store and belonged to a church youth group. Last year, Tomlin went on a missionary trip to Mexico with his family and helped build a house for low-income people. He planned to enlist in the Army in two years.
Lauren Townsend, 18, was captain of the girls’ varsity basketball team, which was coached by her mother. Fellow players said she was “consumed” by the sport. Townsend, who had a 4.0 grade point average, was a member of the National Honor Society, a candidate for class valedictorian, and wanted to major in biology in college. She volunteered in a local soup kitchen and also worked after school in a veterinary hospital. Townsend attended the school prom last week and had received a scholarship to attend college in Colorado next fall.
Kyle Velasquez, 16: No information was available on Velasquez.