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Eric Harris Case Study

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Eric Harris was just 18 years old when he and his friend, Dylan Klebold committed the worst shooting in the US at the time, the massacre at Columbine High School. They were just two weeks away from graduation. Eric was born in Wichita, Kansas to Wayne and Kathy Harris. His father was employed as a transport pilot in the Air Force, and as a result, the family was constantly relocating. Wayne held 11 different positions at 6 bases in the states of Ohio, Michigan and New York. The family finally settled in Plattsburgh, New York when Wayne was forced into retirement in 1993 due to military cutbacks. The understanding was that this would be their last move, however, they relocated one last time to the Denver suburb of Littleton, Colorado in July of …show more content…

His father wrote that Eric would “suppress his anger, then ‘blow up’ and hit something or verbally lash out” (Diversion Documents, 1998). He had a very difficult time managing stress. Joining the Marines may have proved to be troublesome for Eric as he evidently had problems with authority which can be seen in the words, “I don’t like people I have no respect for trying to tell me what to do or what to think” (Diversion Documents, 1998). His parents did not tolerate substance use, so there was little to no drug or alcohol use. Nor was there any criminal history in the family. Eric stated that gangs were “stupid and dangerous” (Diversion Documents, 1998). This furthers the idea that he had a problem listening to authority. Prior to the shooting, Dylan and Eric made a few videos regarding their classmates and the things they wanted to do to them as well as extensively writing about it in their journals. Eric made detailed floor plans of Columbine and noted when the cafeteria would be the most crowded. “In the videos shot in Eric’s basement bedroom, the pair show off the way their weapons fit under their trench coats, and both go on about the 'stuck up

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