'Columbine' Survivor Dies from Gunshot Complications After 26 Years: "Not Natural Death but Homicide"

Columbine: The Worst School Shooting in U.S. History
Survivor Hochhalter Dies After Years of Complications
Devoted Her Life to Helping Other Shooting Victims

A survivor of the 'Columbine High School shooting,' one of the worst gun violence incidents in U.S. history, has passed away due to complications related to gunshot wounds. It has been 26 years since the incident occurred in 1999. On the 13th (local time), Yonhap News, citing the Associated Press and others, reported that Anne Marie Hochhalter, a female victim of the Columbine shooting, died at the age of 43 on the 16th of last month.

Anne Marie Hochhalter, a survivor of the Columbine shooting, attended the overnight vigil commemorating the 25th anniversary of the shooting that occurred in Denver on April 19 last year. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to the autopsy report released that day, Hochhalter died from sepsis, with paralysis caused by the gunshot wounds and related complications being major contributing factors. Consequently, authorities concluded her death was a homicide rather than natural causes. This raises the death toll of the Columbine shooting victims from the previous 13 to 14.

Hochhalter, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was shot twice in the chest and back while having lunch with friends at school and collapsed. She was paralyzed from the waist down and suffered from severe pain throughout her life.

However, Hochhalter tried to live a positive life relying on faith and friendship and was known to have devoted herself to helping other shooting victims. In 2016, when Sue Klebold, mother of one of the shooters Dylan Klebold, published a book titled "A Mother's Reckoning," Hochhalter sent her a letter saying, "I have forgiven you."

In the letter, Hochhalter wrote, "Just as I do not want to be judged for my family's sins, I support you for the same reason," adding, "I have endured many medical issues due to spinal cord injury and severe neuralgia, but I have chosen not to resent you."

The Columbine shooting occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, when students Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17) indiscriminately fired about 900 rounds. The shooting resulted in the deaths of 12 students and one teacher, and the perpetrators took their own lives in the school library. The incident sparked ongoing social debates over causes and gun control measures.

However, according to The Washington Post (WP), since this incident, 428 school shootings have occurred in the U.S., with approximately 394,000 students experiencing gun violence on school grounds, indicating that tragedies involving firearms continue unabated.