William David Sanders was born on October 22, 1951 in Eldorado, IL, and died on April 20, 1999 in a science storage room at Columbine High School at the age of 47. Dave was a beloved teacher and coach at Columbine High School for 25 years. Hired at 22, he taught business, computer classes, was a substitute science teacher [1], and coached girls' basketball and softball.
He left behind a wife, four children, and five grandchildren.
Dave's family kept his burial private, but held an open funeral for him at Trinity Christian Center on April 26, 1999. His funeral was led by Trinity founder and senior pastor Billy Epperhart[2], who also led the services for Corey DePooter, Rachel Scott, and Steven Curnow.
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While the 911 operator knew about Dave's situation, police allegedly did not. SWAT officers Lt. Terry Manwaring and Capt. Vince DiManna told the Denver Post they were never told about Sanders and they didn't know there was a teacher bleeding to death in a classroom [3].
In Memoriam
After his death, a softball field was named after coach Sanders
Sanders was awarded the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.
Autopsy Report
Sanders' autopsy report was written by Michael J. Doberson, M.D., Ph.D., a Forensic Pathologist and Corner/Medical Examiner for Arapahoe County on May 18, 1999. His autopsy states the following:
PATHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSES
1. Perforating gunshot wound to the neck and head with:
Entrance, left lower neck.
Exit, right upper lip.
Partial transection of the left internal carotid artery.
Laceration of the tongue and avulsion of multiple teeth.
Associated hemorrhages.
2. Perforating gunshot wound to the trunk with:
Entrance, right upper back.
Exit, right upper chest.
Fracture of the right clavicle.
Partial transection of the right subclavian vein.
Associated hemorrhage.
OPINION
This 48-year old man sustained gunshot wounds at the high school in which he was a teacher. He died a short time later at the scene. His death is attributed to multiple vascular lacerations due to perforating gunshot wounds to the neck/head and trunk. Toxicology analysis of body fluids obtained at the time of autopsy were negative. In view of the scene and circumstances surrounding the death and autopsy findings, the manner of death is classified as homicide.
Encyclopedia notes: Although the autopsy states he was 48 years old, Sanders was 47 years, 5 months, 29 days old at the time of his death.
Lawsuits
The family of Dave Sanders filed a federal lawsuit against the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department alleging that they knew by 12:30 p.m. that both shooters were dead, which would have changed the way they were required to respond. Police and medical personnel were forced to wait outside, some of whom said they were threatened with being shot if they disobeyed orders. One officer did disobey orders to rescue severely wounded Mark Taylor.
According to the Sanders lawsuit, knowing the shooters were dead by 12:30 p.m. should have allowed police and medical teams to go into the school and save Sanders. By noon, they were aware he was wounded and knew his exact location. A teacher in the room, Ms. Miller, placed a dry erase board in the window that read "1 BLEEDING TO DEATH." Instead of being rescued, they let Sanders bled to death for hours. Although he had a pulse when he was finally found by SWAT, they made the tough decision to leave him and search for other survivors.
One of the most interesting allegations in the Sanders lawsuit was that a SWAT sharpshooter had Dylan Klebold in his sights, asked to take a head shot, and was told to stand down by his supervisor. Another allegation claims that the unnamed sharpshooter witnessed both Harris and Klebold die in the library, which means police knew the shooting was over hours before Sanders died and failed to rescue him. [4]
It is known (with photographic evidence) that there were several sharpshooters stationed on nearby residential roofs who could see clearly into the library, specifically the area where Harris and Klebold died. Although some claim police and sharpshooters could not have had a clear sight into the library during the shooting, a crime scene photograph Brian Rohrbough presented during the Ireland lawsuit, taken the day of the shootings, proved that even law enforcement on the ground could see clearly into the library from the ground. This supports the allegations in the Sanders suit that the sharpshooter had the visibility he claimed.
Controversies
Witnesses
Below is a list of witnesses who saw or heard events related to Sanders.
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Timeline
Below is a timeline of events related to Dave Sanders' actions the day of the shooting constructed based on witness testimony. Note that if the timeline doesn't match the official story, that's because the incident likely began at 11:15 a.m. and most of the first actions in the cafeteria were removed from the CCTV tape before being released to the public.
Summary of the timeline of events:
11:13 a.m.
--Sanders is in the teacher's lounge with Judy Greco and Chris Redmerski. (11k, p.4161)
11:15 a.m.
--Sanders, Greco, and Redmerski hear a series of banging on the window and Redmerski goes outside to tell students to stop. (11k, p.4162)
--On her way out, Redmerski looks out the window from the edge of the lounge and sees two students lying face down near each other directly below the window. (11k, p.4162)
11:16 a.m.
--Redmerski goes to the Northwest cafeteria door and encounters Sean Graves, shot, lying by the cafeteria door. (11k, p.4162)
--Graves tells Redmerski he can't feel his legs. He tells her he's been shot in the back. Redmerski struggles to understand that Graves has been shot and thinks he's exaggerating because there is no gunfire nor explosions at this time. She thinks Graves got into a fight and someone pushed him down. Graves tells her he was shot by a kid in a trench coat on top of the hill. Redmerski looks for signs of gunshot wounds on Graves and doesn't see any. Just when she pokes her head out to look up the hill, she hears gunshots. (11k, pp.4162-4163)
Map of the teacher's lounge and Northwest cafeteria door.
11:17 a.m.
--After hearing gunshots, Redmerski goes back to the teacher's lounge to tell the other teachers someone is shooting outside and tells Sanders she needs help with Sean. (11k, p.4163)
--Sanders is seen running out of the teacher's lounge yelling for everyone in the cafeteria to "get down." (11k, p.2466; p.2326)
11:18 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.
--Greco calls secretary Jan Fiedler. (10k, p.23029)
--Redmerski goes back to Graves, and Jon Curtis, Judy Greco, and Dave Sanders help her pull Sean Graves' head into the doorway of the Northeast cafeteria door. (11k, p.4163; p.3657; p.3424 )
--Greco and Sanders leave the Northwest cafeteria door and are gone by the time Redmerski leaves Graves. (11k, p.4164)
--Redmerski goes back to the teacher's lounge and notes that Sanders is not there. (11k, p.4164)
--Sanders walks out of a cafeteria into the Senior parking lot telling students outside to get inside the cafeteria. (11k, p.2836)
--Sanders is seen coming back into the cafeteria from the Senior parking lot, yelling at everyone to "get down." (11k, p.3178)
--Sanders then runs back outside again briefly, where he is shot from behind. The projectile enters through his right trap and exits his right clavicle. (11k, p.3179)
Note: Cameron Witt was upstairs running through the hall when he looked out the window and saw Dave Sanders outside, on the ground, with a bloody shoulder. (11k, p.6034)
--Sanders comes back into the cafeteria, yelling at everyone to "get upstairs." (11k, p.5899; 6033)
--Teacher Kandice Sterling sees Sanders run from the teacher's lounge and "bolt" up the stairs from the cafeteria to the second level. (11k, p.2484)
Note: This was Sanders' first trip up the stairs; he made two trips upstairs. This trip occurred minutes before the big stampede went up the stairs following Dave Sanders the second time.
--At the top of the stairs, the first time he runs up, Sanders tells the few students present in the upper hall not to go down the library hallway and to "get downstairs". (11k, p.5853; p.5899; p.5979; 6033)
--According to witnesses, the commotion in the cafeteria starts at this point.
11:21-11:23 a.m.
--While upstairs, Sanders runs down the left portion of the East-West hall away from the library, toward the East main school exit, and as he runs, he pushes Jennifer Barnes and tells her to keep running. As Barnes approaches the East main exit, she turns around to look at Sanders, who sounds out of breath. She notices his hands are covered in blood, but doesn't know if he has been injured or if the blood is from him helping someone else. Barnes asks Sanders if he is all right and he says, "Yes" and tells her, "Go, go." As Barnes runs, she looks back and Sanders is leaning against the wall. (11k, p.2428)
--Sanders turns around and runs back down the stairs into the cafeteria.
11:24 a.m.
--Sanders heads back up the stairs to the second level again and is quickly followed by a stampede of students.
--As Sanders runs up the stairs the second time, Elisha Encinias is running next to him. As soon as they get to the top of the stairs, they both turn right to go down the library hall when someone shoots at them from the West door area. Encinias sees Sanders get shot and fall to the ground. She is not injured, turns around, and runs in the other direction. (11k, p.2944)
Note: In the CCTV footage, Sanders runs up the stairs, alone, shortly before the stampede. However, Encinias could have already been on the portion of the stairs the camera didn't cover. The only discrepancy with Encinias' interview is that Sanders was shot from behind, and if they turned right to go down the library hall, the shooter could not have been at the West door area. That Sanders ran East, not West, is consistent with his wound and is supported by Zack Cartaya's statement. (11k, p.4892)
--Sanders is shot seconds after reaching the top of the stairs.
--Right before he's shot, Sanders is seen stepping in front of teacher Theresa Miller (Theresa Lara). (11k, p.4930)
--Three people witness Sanders get shot at the top of the stairs. (11k, p.2944; p.4930; p.4891)
--All three witnesses only heard one shot fired at this time. (11k, p.2944; p.4930; p.4891)
--One of the three witnesses said Sanders was running East when he was shot in the back. (11k, p.4892)
--Sanders falls to the ground just several feet from the top of the stairs near the East/West hallway. Sanders is seen on his hands and knees, bleeding from the mouth. (11k, p.796; 2944; 4330; p.5899)
--After the hallway clears, teacher Rich Long hears someone say, "Dave's been hit" and sees Sanders stumble into the South hallway and fall. As Sanders falls, Long sees a big explosion. These events are corroborated by Andrea Coe who also saw a big explosion in front of SCI-8 at the time when Sanders fell. (11k, pp.494-495; p.5853)
--Long goes to assist Sanders. (11k, possibly p.2103)
--Sanders crawls for a short distance and then teacher Rich Long assists Sanders in standing up and "shoulders" him through an open doorway into SCI-3, where teachers Doug Johnson and Theresa Miller help him into the classroom.
--Sanders takes a couple of steps into the classroom and falls forward onto his face. (11k, p.796)
The CCTV footage is missing 8 minutes
There are several 8 conveniently missing from the CCTV video: 11:14 a.m. - 11:22 a.m. According to witnesses, this timeframe begins exactly when Sanders, Greco, and Redmerski realized something was wrong and ran over to the door where Sean Graves had been shot. These missing 8 minutes would have depicted the following key events:
Harris and Klebold entering the cafeteria with an older male wearing a white v-neck shirt.
Klebold walking over to the vending machines possibly to check on the bombs.
Sanders pulling Graves into the doorway.
Sanders running up the stairs long before 11:24a.m.
Sanders coming in and out of the cafeteria twice to usher students inside.
Sanders coming into the cafeteria from the parking lot holding his injured right shoulder.
A wave of students coming down the stairs as directed by Sanders from above.
If Sanders was shot outside, why does he not appear injured?
Sanders appears uninjured in the CCTV footage as he goes up the stairs. However, four things should be noted:
(1) The CCTV quality is extremely poor. However, in one frame of the video, a dark spot is visible on the location of his exit wound over his right clavicle.
This spot appears over Dave Sanders' exit wound through his right clavicle.
(2) Graves had been shot in the back multiple times and Redmerski looked for, but couldn't see his wounds. If wounds can't always bee seen in person, it can't be assumed that a wound would be clearly visible in a poor quality video.
(2) The CCTV video appears to have been edited. There is an abrupt color change between the cut segments, which is not normal for VHS tapes. Also, the jump cut timing from one camera to another is inconsistent beginning when Sanders first appears on the tape. We don't have the original tape - it was immediately sent to Quantico. They could have easily edited out any evidence of Sanders' wound and released a poor quality video to hide the editing job.
(3) Investigators claimed the 8-minute gap was the result of a tape change, and it took 8 minutes for the custodian to rewind an old tape and start recording again. However, it would have only taken about 2 minutes to rewind a VHS tape. Furthermore, the custodian doesn't mention rewinding a video in his interview - he simply says he "changed the tape" and then went on with his day.
(4) Investigators claim the CCTV footage timestamp was accurate, and everything else with a time clock had to be adjusted to match: the fire alarms, the dispatch tapes, and the cafeteria's cash register. This does not appear to be true. The cafeteria time stamp appears to lag behind by about 1 minute and 30 seconds. This was discovered by a researcher who goes by SarinGasAttack. This researcher lined up some of the 911 calls with the cafeteria footage and identified key events that could be heard in the 911 call and seen in the cafeteria tape. The result was a discrepancy of about 1.5 minutes.
Multiple witnesses support that Sanders was first shot outside
Samuel Granillo said he saw Sanders appear to get shot outside. (11k, p.2836); (Samuel Granillo; Rolling Stone)
Right as students stood up to look outside, Nathan Vanderau saw Sanders walk by his table in the cafeteria holding his shoulder/arm as if he'd been shot. (11k, p.4677)
Adam Foss saw Sanders already bloody coming up the stairs, but was not yet shot through the mouth - right before he was shot through the mouth when he started to run. (11k, p.4930)
Jennifer Barnes saw Sanders with bloody hands upstairs by the main East exit without a face wound. (11k, p.2428)
Cameron Witt saw Sanders on the ground with a bloody shoulder outside. (11k, p.6034)
Kyle Gummere saw Sanders with only a shoulder wound upstairs. (11k, p.1908) (10k, p.17850-17851)
The reason it's hard to believe Sanders was shot outside is because we've been told that Sanders only went up the stairs once and was immediately shot twice and taken down. However, witness statements show that Sanders took two trips up the stairs, and he had already been shot outside before he went up the stairs the first time.
Why would this be hidden? Perhaps it's because Sanders was shot outside by someone who was not Harris or Klebold. Where he was, he should not have been within a shooter's sight if it was just Harris and Klebold. Sanders was shot outside in the same area where Ann Marie Hochhalter was shot, and she didn't think it was Klebold who shot her. Other witnesses also stated that Hochhalter was shot by Robert Perry. Did Sanders identify his shooter to the students in the science room? Is that why we don't have their 911 calls? Is that why so many witnesses in that science room have no interview summaries and instead, have placeholder text that simply says their story matched what other witnesses said?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Detailed timeline with estimated times (need to refine)
11:13 a.m.
--Sanders is in the teacher's lounge eating lunch with Chris Redmerski and Judy Greco.
11:15 a.m.
--After eating half her sandwich, Redmerski hears a series of three loud knocks on the faculty lounge window. Everyone ignores the first two knocks, and after the third, Redmerski heads out to tell the students to stop. First, she looks out the faculty lounge window and sees two students lying facing the window on their stomachs directly outside and below the window four feet apart and parallel to each other.
11:16 a.m.
--Redmerski walks to the Northwest cafeteria door, opens the door, and sees Sean Graves lying the ground. Graves tells her he can't feel his legs. Graves tells her he's been shot in the back by a kid in a trench coat up on the hill. Redmerski looks for wounds, but can't see any injuries and it takes her a bit to take him seriously since there is no gunfire happening at that time. Just as she starts to poke her head around the corner to look up the hill, she hears gunshots and realizes someone is shooting outside. She tells Graves she'll be right back, and goes back to the teacher's lounge.
Map of the teacher's lounge and Northwest cafeteria door.
11:17 a.m.
-Redmerski goes back into the faculty lounge and tells Sanders a student has been shot and is outside in danger and she can't move him.
--Greco goes for the phone.
--Sanders runs to the Northwest cafeteria door where Redmerski is tending to Sean Graves. Redmerski, who is now on her stomach holding Graves' hand, sees Sanders standing behind her with Greco. The teachers drag Graves closer to the door so that his head is in the doorway, but he's still mostly outside of the cafeteria.
--Jon Curtis comes to the door and Sanders leaves.
--Sanders walks to a different cafeteria door and yells at students to get inside the cafeteria, then he goes back to the teacher's lounge briefly.
--Sanders is then seen by Spanish teacher Kandice Sterling coming out of the teacher's lounge and "bolting" up the stairs to the second level. This event is what we see on the CCTV footage timestamped at 11:24 a.m. (11k, p.2484)
This event is also described by Kim Anderson, who saw Sanders run out of the teacher's lounge and yell at everyone to get down right as people moved to the windows to see what was happening outside. (11k, p.2326)
Did Sanders ran up the stairs twice?
There is a strong reason to believe Sanders ran up the stairs twice.
Cameron Witt was at the top of the stairs when some kids ran up and told him to get out because someone was shooting downstairs. He didn't listen, and then Dave Sanders came up the stairs yelling "get downstairs." Then Witt heard shots and Sanders ran around the corner of the stairs toward the library (to the right) and then quickly retreated and ran back down stairs.
At this point, there wasn't much commotion yet and Witt went downstairs to look through the window to see what was happening. As he was looking out the window, that's when the commotion started and Sanders started yelling at everyone to "get upstairs."
This is corroborated by Andrea Coe (11k, p.5853), who said Sanders was at the top of the stairs telling kids not to go down the library hallway, pushing them down the stairs.
Note: why don't we see kids coming back down the stairs on the CCTV footage? Why don't we see Sanders going up the stairs twice? The tape has been edited.
When Witt ran by the big windows to the East by the math and science wings, he saw Sanders on the ground with his arm all red. It should be noted that that is the area where other witnesses saw Sanders exit the cafeteria where he appeared to "jerk" as if he had been shot and when he came inside, other witnesses said he was holding his arm as if he was injured.
Mark Hengel also heard Sanders tell people to go downstairs and then to go upstairs. (11k, p.5899)
Annette Shinn also reported that Sanders told her to go downstairs and that Sanders was not injured at that time. (11k, p.5979)
It appears that Sanders did run up the stairs twice. He ran up the stairs, then ran down and went outside. He was shot through the upper right trap, and then he ran back up the stairs wounded, where he was seen coming up the stairs already bloody. From there, he ran down the East hall, where he pushed Jennifer Barnes toward the East exit, rested against the wall briefly, and retreated back to the top of the stairs. Sanders was shot a second time through the mouth as he ran toward the West exit from the East exit.
It seems that the footage of Sanders running up the stairs with a bloody right shoulder has been cut from the CCTV footage. It appears that the footage has been altered so that Sanders' first trip up the stairs where he is uninjured is shown in place of his second trip up the stairs, where he was visibly injured.
What time did Sanders run up the stairs?
Sanders is seen running up the stairs at 11:24 a.m. on the CCTV footage, but based on witness statements, it's more likely that he ran up the stairs closer to 11:17 a.m., which is interesting because that's 7 minutes earlier than the CCTV timestamp. However, it should be noted that the events in the CCTV footage appear to be the same series of events that witnesses reported happening approximately eight minutes prior. What a coincidence that there happen to be 8 minutes of missing footage from the tape that cuts out at exactly the minute the teachers began running around the cafeteria and tending to Sean Graves (11:14 a.m.), which would have been seen on the on one of the cameras had the tape not been cut.
11:xx a.m.
----Sanders is seen running down the South main hall moving in the direction of the main East exit. He was already wounded and had bloody hands, but was not yet wounded through the mouth. Jennifer Barnes heard shots (11k, p.2427)
11:xx a.m.
Before the mass exodus of students headed up the stairs to the second level, Frank Petersen, SCI-2 teacher, walked over to the stairs from his science class and didn't hear anything. He said some kids were coming up the stairs quickly, but not at an alarming rate. Then he heard a barrage of gunfire and saw teacher Rich Long crouched over with someone on the floor next to him. Long yelled at Petersen to get help. Petersen wasn't sure if the person on the floor next to Long was Sanders. However, it's likely the person was Sanders because that is the same area where Long went to assist Sanders after he had fallen from being shot through the upper left back and out through his upper right lip.
11:xx a.m.
Timeline with interview quotes (need to refine)
At 11:13 a.m., Sanders is in the teacher's lounge with Judy Greco and Chris Redmerski. (11k, p.4161)
At 11:15 a.m., Sanders, Greco, and Redmerski hear a series of banging on the window and Redmerski goes outside to tell students to stop. (11k, p.4162)
On her way out, Redmerski looks out the window from the edge of the lounge and sees two students lying face down near each other directly below the window. (11k, p.4162)
At 11:16 a.m., Redmerski goes to the Northwest cafeteria door and encounters Sean Graves, shot, lying by the cafeteria door. (11k, p.4162)
Graves tells Redmerski he can't feel his legs. He tells her he's been shot in the back. Redmerski struggles to understand that Graves has been shot and thinks he's exaggerating because there is no gunfire nor explosions at this time. She thinks Graves got into a fight and someone pushed him down. Graves tells her he was shot by a kid in a trench coat on top of the hill. Redmerski looks for signs of gunshot wounds on Graves and doesn't find any. Just when she pokes her head out to look up the hill, she hears gunshots. (11k, pp.4162-4163)
At 11:17 a.m., Redmerski goes back to the teacher's lounge to tell the other teachers someone is shooting outside and tells Sanders she needs help. (11k, p.4163)
At 11:18 a.m., Redmerski goes back to Graves, and Jon Curtis, Judy Greco, and Dave Sanders help her pull Sean Graves somewhat into the doorway of the Northeast cafeteria door. (11k, p.4163; p.3657; p.3424 )
Greco and Sanders leave the Northwest cafeteria door and are gone by the time Redmerski leaves Graves. (11k, p.4164)
Redmerski goes back to the teacher's lounge and notes that Sanders is not there. (11k, p.4164)
Sanders walks out of a cafeteria and toward the Senior parking lot telling students outside to get inside the cafeteria. (11k, p.2836)
Sanders is seen coming back into the cafeteria from the Senior parking lot, yelling at everyone to "get down." (11k, p.3178)
Sanders then runs back outside again briefly. (11k, p.3179)
Sanders is seen coming out of the teacher's lounge yelling for everyone in the cafeteria to "get down." (11k, p.2466; p.2326)
Teacher Kandice Sterling sees Sanders run from the teacher's lounge and "bolt" up the stairs from the cafeteria to the second level. (11k, p.2484)
At the top of the stairs, apparently realizing there is a shooter near the library, Sanders tells the few students present not to go down the library hallway and to "get downstairs". (11k, p.5853; p.5899; p.5979; 6033)
The commotion in the cafeteria starts at this point.
Sanders goes back down into the cafeteria, yelling at everyone to "get upstairs." (11k, p.5899; 6033)
While outside, either the first or second time, Sanders was most likely shot by the bullet that entered his upper right trap and exited through his collarbone. Right after Sanders went back down into the cafeteria, Cameron Witt saw Sanders outside, on the ground, with a bloody shoulder. (11k, p.6034)
Multiple witnesses reported seeing Sanders:
Appear to get shot outside (11k, p.2836); (Samuel Granillo; Rolling Stone)
Holding his shoulder/arm in the cafeteria as if he'd been shot (11k, p.4677)
Saw him already bloody coming up the stairs, but not yet shot through the mouth - right before he was shot through the mouth (11k, p.4930)
Saw him bloody upstairs, but without a face wound (11k, p.2428)
Saw him on the ground with a bloody shoulder outside (11k, p.6034)
Saw him with only a shoulder wound upstairs. (11k, p.1908)
Sanders heads back up the stairs to the second level again and is shortly followed by a stampede of students.
At some point, Sanders runs down the left portion of the hall away from the library, toward the East main school exit, and as he runs, he pushes Jennifer Barnes and tells her to keep running. As Barnes approaches the East main exit, she turns around to look at Sanders, who sounds out of breath. She notices his hands are covered in blood, but doesn't know if he has been injured or if the blood is from him helping someone else. Barnes asks Sanders if he is all right and he says, "Yes" and tells her, "Go, go." As Barnes runs, she looks back and Sanders is leaning against the wall. (11k, p.2428)
Something made Sanders turn around and run back toward the stairs.
As Sanders runs up the stairs the second time, Elisha Encinias says she is running next to him. As soon as they get to the top of the stairs, they both turn right to go down the library hall when someone shoots at them from the West door area. Encinias sees Sanders get shot and fall to the ground. She is not injured, turns around, and runs in the other direction. (11k, p.2944)
Right before he's shot, Sanders is seen stepping in front of teacher Theresa Miller (Theresa Lara). (11k, p.4930)
Three people witness Sanders get shot at the top of the stairs. (11k, p.2944; p.4930; p.4891)
All three witnesses only saw one shot fired at this time. (11k, p.2944; p.4930; p.4891)
One of the three witnesses said Sanders was running East when he was shot in the back. (11k, p.4892)
Sanders falls to the ground just several feet from the top of the stairs near the East/West hallway. Sanders is seen on his hands and knees, bleeding from the mouth. (11k, p.796; 2944; 4330; p.5899)
After the hallway clears, teacher Rich Long hears someone say, "Dave's been hit" and sees Sanders stumble into the South hallway and fall. As Sanders falls, Long sees a big explosion. These events are corroborated by Andrea Coe who also saw a big explosion in front of SCI-8 at the time when Sanders fell. (11k, pp.494-495; p.5853)
Long goes to assist Sanders. (11k, possibly p.2103)
Sanders crawls for a short distance and then teacher Rich Long assists Sanders in standing up and "shoulders" him through an open doorway into SCI-3, where teachers Doug Johnson and Theresa Miller help him into the classroom.
Sanders takes a couple of steps into the classroom and falls forward onto his face. (11k, p.796)
Detailed Witness Statements
Witnesses who saw/heard Sanders yelling in the cafeteria
Redmerski saw Sean Graves outside the cafeteria door
"Chris said that she then exited the West doorway of the faculty lounge and walked to the door located at the Northwest corner of the cafeteria. Chris said that she then opened the door (the hinges of which were to her left) and stood in the doorway while holding the door open with her left arm. At that time, Chris said that she saw a student lying in front of the door, at an angle with his head facing Northeast and his feet pointing Southwest. [...] Chris said that in her mind, she was thinking that this student had been in a fight and or had been pushed and was perhaps 'exaggerating' his injury. Chris said that upon asking him this, he 'looked at me and said, 'I can't feel my legs.' (11k, p.4162)
Redmerski ran back to the lounge get help from Sanders; he followed her back to Graves
Chris said that she then ran back into the West doorway of the faculty lounge where Dave Sanders and Judy Greco were still the only ones inside and still eating their lunch. Chris said that she yelled at Dave, 'Help me! A student's been shot and I can't move him!' Chris said that Dave then stood up and Judy immediately ran to the phone on the desk along the East wall of the lounge. Chris said that she does not recall which door of the faculty lounge Dave then exited. [...] Chris said that she then laid down on her stomach and told Sean to 'give me your hand.' Chris said that she remembers a custodian named Jon (Curtis) came to the doorway behind her and that she looked back to him and said, 'I can't pull him in, he's too big.' She also remembers seeing Dave Sanders and Judy Greco behind her in the doorway as well, but could not recall when they left or where they went. (11k, p.4163)
Christopher Markham
Markham saw Sanders help pull Graves into the doorway
"Markham saw Lance Kirklin, Dan Rohrbough, and Sean Graves all lying just outside the cafeteria door. Sean Graves was the closest and said that he had been shot. Matt Katzenmeier was also at the door looking out. Mr. Sanders, another teacher, anda janitor helped pull Graves inside the cafeteria. (11k, p.3657)
Jon Curtis
Curtis helped pull Graves into the doorway with Sanders
"He stated that during the incident he observed victim Sean Graves, who was a wounded victim, laying halfway in the cafeteria and halfway outside a door, this door is located on the Northwest corner on the cafeteria. Curtis informed me that he stayed with Graves..." (11k, p.2788)
Although Curtis' interview summary doesn't mention Sanders directly, others saw him and Sanders move Graves
"Markham saw Lance Kirklin, Dan Rohrbough, and Sean Graves all lying just outside the cafeteria door. Sean Graves was the closest and said that he had been shot. Matt Katzenmeier was also at the door looking out. Mr. Sanders, another teacher, and a janitor helped pull Graves inside the cafeteria. (Markham, 11k, p.3657)
"Chris said that she remembers a custodian named Jon (Curtis) came to the doorway behind her and that she looked back to him and said, 'I can't pull him in, he's too big.' She also remembers seeing Dave Sanders and Judy Greco behind her in the doorway as well, but could not recall when they left or where they went. Chris said that Jon then crouched in the doorway to help her, but was interrupted by a female 'cafeteria worker' who came to the door and yelled at her and Jon 'not to move him (Sean), that he may have spinal damage.' (Redmerski, 11k, p.4163)
Judy Greco
Greco went to check on Graves with Sanders
"Dave & I went to see what Chris was talking about. [...] "There was a kid laying on the ground by the outside door , he said I've been shot." (11k, p.5696-5697)
Matt Katzenmeier
Katzenmeier doesn't mention Sanders, but he was looking out the same door
"In that interview Matt did relate that he was in the cafeteria at the vending machines near the West entrance and that he heard 2 shots and yelling in the parking lot and that Sean Graves had been shot as well as another person." (11k, p.3424)
Markham saw Katzenmeier at the door with Sanders
"Markham saw Lance Kirklin, Dan Rohrbough, and Sean Graves all lying just outside the cafeteria door. Sean Graves was the closest and said that he had been shot. Matt Katzenmeier was also at the door looking out. Mr. Sanders, another teacher, and a janitor helped pull Graves inside the cafeteria. (Markham, 11k, p.3657)
Witnesses who saw Sanders come in and/or out of the cafeteria/parking lot
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witnesses who saw Sanders run up and/or down the stairs
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witnesses ushered downstairs by Sanders
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witness list:
Andrea Coe
Annette Shinn
Cameron Witt
Mark Hengel
--Andrea Coe 5853
--Annette Shinn 5979
--Cameron Witt 6033
--Mark Hengel 5899
Witnesses ushered upstairs by Sanders
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witness list:
Cameron Witt
Mark Hengel
--Cameron Witt 6033
--Mark Hengel 5899
Witnesses who saw Sanders injured downstairs
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witness list:
Cameron Witt
Nathan Vanderau
--Cameron Witt 6033
--Nathan Vanderau 4677
Witnesses who saw Sanders injured upstairs, but not through the mouth
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witness list:
Adam Foss
Kyle Gummere
--Adam Foss 4929
--Kyle Gummere 1908
Witnesses who saw Sanders upstairs appearing uninjured
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witness list:
Annette Shinn
--Annette Shinn 5979
Witnesses who saw Sanders get shot upstairs
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Note: There are multiple witnesses who saw Sanders get shot through the upper left back - the shot that exited his mouth and took him down to the ground. However, no witnesses reported seeing Sanders get shot twice while he was upstairs.
Witness list:
Elisha Encinias
Zack Cartaya
--Elisha Encinias 2943
--Zack Cartaya 4891 - Saw Sanders running East when he was shot in the upper left back. Cartaya only saw one shot. His observations match other witnesses who reported the same thing. One shot took Sanders down upstairs.
Witnesses who saw Sanders after he had been shot upstairs
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witness List:
Ben Schumann
Christian Olsen
Daniel Grange
Frank Petersen, SCI-2 teacher
Jennifer Camacho
Jessica Brown
Mark Hengel
Rachel Erbert
Steve Houck
Theresa Miller
--Ben Schumann 4329
--Christian Olsen, SCI-2 (Petersen)
"At approximately 11:20 a.m. he was in the middle of a test when he heard three to four explosions. His teacher identified as Mr. Peterson left the classroom. The fire alarm went off and he heard more explosions. He and his classmates attempted to leave the classroom. Mr. Johnson, another teacher, told them to go back in their classroom and lock the door. Mr. Olsen stated when he first opened the classroom door he saw Mr. Sanders (teacher) had been shot." (11k, p.2083)
Note: Sanders didn’t run up the stairs until 11:24 a.m. Olsen likely saw Sanders just after 11:24 a.m. being shouldered into SCI-3 by Rich Long. SCI-3 is next door to SCI-2. Peterson’s classroom was SCI-2, Johnson's classroom was SCI-3. The door to SCI-2 opened into a hallway around the corner from where Sanders was shot, so Sanders would not have been visible to Olsen from his vantage point unless Sanders was coming down the hallway with Rich Long at that time.
Olsen saw Sanders as he was being brought to SCI-3.
"He went to the stairs going down to the cafeteria. At first, he didn't hear anything. There were kids coming up the stairs quickly, but not at an alarming rate.
Petersen heard a barrage of fire. He then heard pop, pop, pop. Kids hit the deck, then there was a second barrage of gunfire. Petersen saw another teacher Rich Long. He was crouched over. Long yelled for Petersen to go and get help. There was possibly someone on the floor next to him. This investigator asked Petersen if it was Dave Sanders. He indicated it is unknown to him if it was Sanders or not.
Petersen turned and went East down the hall. He was yelling and herding kids down the hall. He crossed the hallway and the fire alarm went off. People started coming out of the math area.
Petersen went down the TRC hallway to the main hall. There was heavy shooting going on down at the other end. This would be the set of doors heavily shot up. Petersen made his way to the main office. Peterson related all the windows around the office area and front doors were intact." (11k, p.2103)
--Jennifer Camacho 2617
--Jessica Brown 2541
--Mark Hengel 5899
--Rachel Erbert 2952
--Steve Houck 4969
--Theresa Miller 5926
Witnesses who saw Sanders enter/inside of SCI-3
First name
Last name
Location
Interview page #
Witness list:
Aaron Hancey
Alysa Bernard
Capricia WyattCarrie Preziosi
Carrie Preziosi
Christie Kane
David Smith
Deidra Kucera
Doug Johnson
Dustin Rissmiller
Elizabeth Mullen
Elizabeth Schneider
Eric Parsons
Erin Walton
Jessica Rusch
John Vandemark
Jonathan Ballard
Kami Held
Kevin Starkey
Lisa Cosgrove
Marjorie Lindholm
Melanie Poleschook
Mike Rotole
Nathan Anema
Sarah Wood
Stephen Broden
--Aaron Hancey 1913
--Alysa Bernard 1794
--Capricia Wyatt, SCI-3 (Johnson) 2268
--Carrie Preziosi, SCI-3 (Johnson)
"Mr. Sanders came into the room bleeding out of his mouth. He had been shot twice. Mr.Johnson's class and Mr. Peterson's class joined right by the door where the classrooms meet. Something broke the door to the science office and made a loud bang. And you could hear people running downstairs and all around." (11k, p.2119)
--Christie Kane 1957
--David Smith 2181
--Deidra Kucera 1995
--Doug Johnson 1947, 1960
--Dustin Rissmiller
"Shortly after hearing the gunshots Mr. Sanders stumbled into the room and fell to the floor." (11k, p.2134)
--Elizabeth Mullen 1956
--Elizabeth Schneider 2163
--Eric Parsons, SCI-3 (Johnson)
"Taking science test. Miss Wyatt came to door called teacher over. Mentioned shooting. Someone yelled "Someone's shooting." Panic. Everyone got against a wall.
Mr. Sanders came in bleeding from mouth. Fell to ground." (11k, p.2090)
"Eric went to his science class room number 3, which Mr. Johnson teaches. Eric stated they began taking a science test and after a few minutes into the test Mrs. Wyatt came to the door and whispered to Mr. Johnson that someone was shooting.
Eric stated he then heard three gunshots from the cafeteria area. Then he heard screaming coming from the same area.
Eric continued by saying that everyone in his class stood up and the teachers told them to get against the wall and get down. Eric stated there were about 30 students in the class. They got against the wall closest to science room 2, so that if anyone looked into his classroom the couldn't see anyone unless they entered the room.
Eric stated Mr. Sanders came in before they got to the walls. He stated Mr. Sanders had blood on his face, a lot of blood. Mr. Sanders then fell down after about 1+1/2 steps into the room."
"Eric went on to say that Mr. Friesen came into the room and took his shirt off to help stop the bleeding of Mr. Sanders. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Friesen tried to help Mr. Sanders." (11k, p.2093)
--Erin Walton 2243
--Jessica Rusch 2144
--John Vandemark 2221
--Jonathan Ballard 1765
--Kami Held 1919
--Kevin Starkey, SCI-3 (Johnson)
--Lisa Cosgrove 1845
--Marjorie Lindholm, SCI-3 (Johnson)
"I was in science class. Heard like 2 rocks hitting school class window. Mr. Johnson looked out. Heard a loud bang. Someone said they were shooting. Started to get on floor. Mr. Sanders came in and fell to the floor and started coughing up blood." (11k, p.2011)
--Melanie Poleschook
"I was in my science class, Mr. Johnson's room. We were taking our test when at about 11:30 we heard some loud noises and screaming. We all stood up and ran to the back of the room and sat on the floor by the walls. Mr. Sanders and a few people came in our room. Mr. Sanders was shot and he was bleeding, then he layed on the floor."
"We heard the door handle move, I think the gunmen were trying to break into our room." (11k, p.2117)
