Gunman Had Been Rejected by Marines

Officials investigating the Columbine High School massacre confirmed Wednesday that five days before he opened fire on his classmates, Eric Harris was informed by the Marine Corps that he was disqualified from enlisting because of a medical condition.

Harris, whose father is a retired Air Force pilot, already had talked with recruiters and done well. In a follow-up interview at the Harris home on April 15, authorities said, the teen’s parents disclosed to recruiters that their son was taking psychiatric medication.

Investigators downplayed the significance of the revelations about Harris, who, with his friend Dylan Klebold, had been planning a massive attack on the suburban school for a year.

“Everything we can find out about Eric Harris we are going to try to do; the same thing with the suspect Klebold,” sheriff’s spokesman Jim Parr said. “But [Harris’ lack of] acceptance to the Marines had no relevance to the crime that occurred Tuesday.”

Parr would not comment about Harris’ medical history, and it is not known what medications he might have been taking. The Jefferson County coroner already had announced that autopsies performed on all 15 people who died in the shooting, including Harris and Klebold, showed no traces of drugs or alcohol. It is unclear whether the toxicology screening included tests for legal, prescription drugs.

Authorities spent much of Wednesday sorting through conflicting and confusing statements made the day before by Sheriff John Stone, who had to be called from his bed late Tuesday night to clarify his remarks.

For example, the three young men detained in a field near the school on the day of the bloody rampage were being considered witnesses and not suspects, officials said Wednesday, adding that they had been cleared of any connection to the case.

That contradicted Stone’s statement that the three were the “subjects of our investigation.”

The youths, who were discovered wearing camouflage pants and dark coats, said they were traveling to Denver to buy presents for their girlfriends. The trio said they had heard about the shooting on the radio and came to the school out of curiosity.

According to Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Mark Pautler, investigators tested the teens’ hands for traces of gunpowder, and the tests proved negative.

Parr also clarified Stone’s comments about the videotape taken from the school’s cafeteria. Although the sheriff had said that the tape depicted Harris and Klebold moving through the school, tossing bombs and firing guns, Parr refused to confirm that.

Parr said he would not comment on exactly what is on the tape. The tapes have been sent to the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va., for enhancement and study.

The Sheriff’s Department also said Wednesday that Robyn K. Anderson, Klebold’s 18-year-old girlfriend, is now believed to have legally bought a rifle and the two shotguns used in the attack.

Although sheriff’s spokesmen took pains to say that Anderson, who has been questioned repeatedly, was simply a witness, Pautler would not go that far.

“What is your definition of a suspect?” Pautler asked. “Here is an individual who bought guns for these two guys. We have a lot more to determine, but we are still looking at everybody.”

If it is determined that Anderson knew Harris and Klebold intended to use the weapons for a criminal purpose, Pautler said, she could be charged with a variety of offenses.

And a report from a hardware store employee, who said he sold Harris and Klebold material that could have been used to construct a homemade bomb, was called into question Wednesday. The man said that the teens bought conspicuous amounts of wire, nails, tape and propane tanks over a three-month period. He also said he made duplicates of school keys.

“Investigators have reason to believe the claims are not credible,” Pautler said Wednesday.

It was the second promising lead to have apparently fizzled in as many days. On Tuesday, a surveillance tape provided by a Colorado Springs gun store owner, who claimed to have remembered Harris from a group of teens he said tried to buy assault weapons there last month, proved useless.

Authorities are being inundated with tips from a rumor-frenzied public. The Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday put the number of solid leads they were following at 600 and said that a hot line established this week was generating an equal mix of help and hoaxes.

“The wackos are coming out of the woodwork,” Parr said.

The hoaxes have prompted authorities to warn of possible arrests.

“I’m saying to the public that we will not tolerate false reporting to law enforcement, which is a crime in Colorado,” Pautler said.

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Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

The Sheriff’s Office is leading the Columbine High School massacre investigation, one of the largest ever conducted in Colorado. Here’s a look at the department and how the investigation is proceeding:

Department Profile

Sheriff: John Stone

Undersheriff: John Dunaway

Headquarters: Golden, Colo.

Founded: 1859

Employees: More than 500

Residents served: More than 180,000 in unincorporated area of county

Divisions:

* Detentions

* Patrol

* Investigations and Support Services

* About 13 patrol deputies are also SWAT team members.

Investigations division:

Consists of three geographical precinct teams, plus:

* Headquarters unit

* Crime analysis unit

* Environmental crimes unit

* Criminalistic unit

* Criminal intelligence unit

* West metro drug task force

* Victim services unit

Columbine Investigation

Investigative task force:

42 investigators, divided into eight teams. In addition, lab personnel from various agencies will be processing evidence from the scene for at least another week.

Leads: As of Tuesday, the department had received 366 leads. Of those, 236 have been assigned and are being pursued.

Bomb threats: Department is reviewing the approximately 60 bomb threat calls received last year by the department’s bomb squad.

Source: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; researched by JULIE SHEER/Los Angeles Times