Today (April 20) is the 16 anniversary of the tragic Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado. The shooting killed 13 people (12 of them were students and one was a teacher) and wounded more than 20 people before turning their guns on themselves, committing suicide. “I feel like it’s scary because it can happen to anyone,” freshman Peytan McGaughy said.

The crime was the worst high school shooting in U.S. history, that promoted a national debate concerning gun control, school safety and a major investigation as to what the motive was for gunmen, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, as stated in an article by History.

Harris and Klebold found themselves being picked on and bullied in high school by athletes and other students as stated in an article (Columbine Massacre) by Jennifer Rosenberg. “How could this have happened, these are two kids who felt bullied. Why do people bully to the point that two kids think that there is no other way out other than to kill a bunch of people and then to just kill themselves,” Spanish teacher Sonja Walker said.

Investigators later learned Harris and Klebold had walked into the cafeteria around 11:10 a.m to place two duffle bags each containing a 20 pound propane bomb set to explode at 11:17 a.m. Later, when the bombs failed to go off that when Harris and Klebold began their spree as written in an article by History.

Follow up investigations determined Harris and Klebold chose their victims randomly, but originally intended to bomb their school, stated in an article written by History. “The Columbine shooting was shocking and I was in disbelief thinking how could that happen so close to home that means it could happen here (Smoky Hill High School), and then anger that the cops sat around while people were getting killed,” said Walker.