Dispatch Transcript Gardner
Transcript of the conversation between sheriff's Deputy Neil Gardner and a dispatcher during the shooting. Some portions were unintelligible.
Note about the timeline - Gardner's shootout with a suspect likely occurred five minutes later than reported.
A student, Lindsie Macey, called 911 from a payphone outside Columbine High School at 11:24:10 a.m. and stated the following:
"Someone's shooting a gun out here. Some girl over there, I think she's paralyzed."
At 11:24, while Macy is still on the phone, the dispatcher notifies Gardner about a "girl down" in the parking lot. Gardner already heard about the shooting over the school radio, so when this call came through he was en route to the school. One minute and fourteen seconds into the call, Macy noted Gardner's arrival and stated, "uh, cops just pulled up." This places Gardner's arrival at 11:24 a.m.
Order of officer arrival
11:21 a.m.
Neil Gardner with Campus Supervisor, Andrew Marton arrive
Paul Smoker and Paul Magor, motorcycle units drove over together
Scott Taborsky, Rick Searle, and Kevin Walker followed Smoker and Magor in a patrol car. Smoker and Magor ditched their bikes and got into the patrol car.
Officer unit identifications
- Neil Gardner Unit #71, badge #3010 (11k, p.8067)
- Rick Searle – Unit #141 (11k, p.)
- Paul Magor – Unit #147, badge #5079 (11k, p.8083)
- Paul Smoker – Unit MC2, was also #71
| Dispatcher: | . . .Shots fired at Columbine High School, 6201 South Pierce, possibly the south lower lots toward the east end. One female is down. |
| Officer Neil Gardner: | Shots in the building. I need somebody in the south lot with me. |
| Dispatcher: | MC2's in the area. |
| Dispatcher: | 140 en route. 11:26. |
| Officer: | Several shots. Code 33. |
| Dispatcher: | 71 (Gardner's identification number). Several shots fired. Columbine High School. Use caution. . . |
| Dispatcher: | Copy. Attention. All units, there's a code three on this channel. For the others at Columbine High, take your traffic to channel two. . . |
| Officer: | Are the alarms OK en route down to Columbine. |
| Officer: | 27. I'm coming in the area. |
| Dispatcher: | 71 requested assistance at the south polar line. |
| Officer: | At the lot? |
| Dispatcher: | Extend at the lot. That's where we had the female down. . . |
| Officer: | OK. . .We've got the pupils leaving the grounds. |
| Dispatcher: | I also have reports of possible grenades in the school. From a teacher. |
| Officer: | They think somebody is in the school with a gun. |
| Dispatcher: | Report units of possible parties inside the school with weapons. Also we have reports from outside the school that possibly grenades are being thrown on the roof of the school. |
| Officer: | 27. I'm set up on Pierce at the south side lot. |
| Dispatcher: | Pierce south lot. . . |
| Officer: | 44. I'll be set up on the west side of the back of the school, by the ball field. I've got the west side by the ball field. Supposedly they're in black trench coats. |
| Dispatcher: | Attention. West side by the ball fields, parties in trench coats, possibly has a shotgun. |
| Dispatcher: | . . .71, is your ambulance needed in the lower lot south side? |
| Officer: | They need to stay away for now. Break. |
| Dispatcher: | Copy. They're staging. Go ahead. |
| Officer: | We've got a couple shots off the shooter on the southeast end. Southwest, I'm sorry. |
| Dispatcher: | Is it southwest or southeast? |
| Officer: | Southwest. It's a big gun. |
| Dispatcher: | Southwest side with a large weapon. |
| Officer: | I'm on scene. Where does he want me? |
| Dispatcher: | 71, where do you want 141? |
| Officer: | 144, myself, MC2, uh, southeast, scratch, southwest corner by the ball fields. |
| Dispatcher: | 144 and MC2, southwest corner by the ball fields. 149, it's about 11:30. |
| Officer: | . . .Student lot and the buildings. . . |
| Dispatcher: | OK, units responding on scene possibly in student lot. |
| Officer: | This is 144. Additional shots fired, large caliber. |
| Dispatcher: | 144. More shots fired, large caliber. 11:30. |
| Officer: | More shots fired from inside. There is a party down on northwest lot. |
| Dispatcher: | Northwest lot, another party down. Units, we have information some of the shots fired in the library. . . |
| Officer: | More shots fired. |
| Dispatcher: | More shots fired. 11:31. |
| Officer: | I'm clear. All right. |
| Officer: | . . .I've got some smoke coming from the building. I'm over here with the MC unit. |
| Dispatcher: | . . .Smoke from the building. 11:31. |
| Officer: | . . .Shed by the southwest side. |
| Dispatcher: | Another party down of the southwest side. |
| Dispatcher: | Attention all units: 71 is under fire. He's advises the suspect just ran into the building. |
| Officer: | . . .Southwest corner. |
| Dispatcher: | Is this the party in the trench coat? |
| Officer: | Yes. He had a white T-shirt on with some kind of a holster vest something. |
| Dispatcher: | 43 advises the official party on second level, southwest side, a white T-shirt, possibly holster gun. |
| Officer: | I don't know if it's the party or not. I just saw one by a window. |
| Dispatcher: | 71 is still under fire in the south lot. . . |