Kathy Harris

Notability Kathy Harris is the mother of Eric Harris, the murderer of the mass shooting on campus. Kathy is dealing with the legacy of the murder. She continues to grieve for the tragedy, but also firmly defends her rights, which makes her a unique cultural symbol left over from the murder. Contents Overview Family life Eric Harris & Columbine Shooting Kathy's position on shootings

Relevant links : Eric Harris Columbine High School massacre Columbine, Colorado Littleton, Colorado

Overview Katherine Poole was a stay-at-home mom to Kevin and Eric Harris. Eric Harris, a mass murderer who killed 13 people and wounded 24 other people on April 20th, 1999 at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. Eric Harris, along with Dylan Klebold, committed suicide on April 20th, 1999. Katherine Poole is married to Wayne Harris. Wayne Harris worked in the Air Force as a transport pilot and held 11 different positions at six different bases.

Family Life The Harris family consisted of Wayne, Katherine (Kathy) and their two sons Kevin and Eric. Wayne held positions in the Air Force in Ohio, Michigan and New York. Plattsburgh, New York was the last place the family moved to before Wayne Harris was forced to retire from the military in 1993. They eventually moved to Littleton, Colorado in July 1993. Wayne took a job with the FlightSafety Services Corporation and Katherine got a job as a caterer. They rented a house for the first three years in Colorado. Since their son Eric started attending Columbine in 1995, which is the reason why the Harris’ bought a house near Columbine High School. Eric Harris & Columbine Shooting On April 20th, 1999 at approximately 11:19 am, Eric Harris, the son of Kathy Poole, and his friend Dylan Klebold dressed in trench coats and began shooting fellow students outside of Columbine High School. The pair had also attempted to build their own explosive to bomb the school, but it never went off. They eventually moved inside the school where they found more victims inside the library. It was at approx 11:35 am when Harris and Klebold had killed 13 students and a teacher. They took their own lives around noon on that day. Kathy's position on shootings Kathy and her husband had noticed his son's violent tendencies and mental state before the shooting. Wayne Harris started a diary of Eric's bad behavior in 1997. Kathy took Eric to see the therapist after a previous trial of theft to resolve his anger. After the shooting, Kathy and her husband published an open letter and moved away from Littleton. They no longer contact anyone about Columbine. The following is the content of the open letter: Open letter from the parents of Wayne and Kathy Harris:

We continue to be profoundly saddened by the suffering of so many that has resulted from the acts of our son. We loved our son dearly, and search our souls daily for some glimmer of a reason why he would have done such a horrible thing. What he did was unforgivable and beyond our capacity to understand. The passage of time has yet to lessen the pain.

We are thankful to those who have kept us in their thoughts and prayers.

Wayne and Kathy Harris - April 15, 2000

About ten and a half years after the shooting, Kathy and Wayne Harris finally met with parents of one of the victims.Kathy and her husband revealed during their communication with the victim's family that they were supervising their son's community service work and that the family insisted on eating together. According to the interview, Kathy and Wayne still weren't very open to sharing much about their son, and there have not been any other known meetings between the Harris’ and other families. Kathy and her husband found a quiet and welcoming community to live in after the shootings, and they did not give media interviews and firmly refused to comment to maintain their privacy. But they continue to feel sad and pray for all the victims and their families. They remained quiet in the house where they lived, and Kathy continued her work in a restaurant. Faced with the prosecution of the victim's parents, Casey and her family hired a lawyer to defend themselves, and remained silent in constant receiving abusive and warning letters and press releases.Kathy is dealing with the legacy of the murder. She continues to grieve for the tragedy, but also firmly defends her rights, which makes her a unique cultural symbol left over from the murder.

References

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