Death of paralyzed Columbine survivor is dominated a murder, elevating loss of life toll from college bloodbath to 14 | EUROtoday

The loss of life of Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was paralyzed within the mass capturing at Columbine High School in 1999, has been dominated a murder.

The 43-year-old died final month of accidents she sustained from gunshot wounds practically 26 years after the college bloodbath.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office categorized her loss of life on February 16 a murder in a report launched Wednesday. Her explanation for loss of life was sepsis, with the 2 gunshot wounds she sustained within the capturing being a “significant contributing factor,” wrote forensic pathologist Dr Dawn B Holmes within the 13-page report.

Almost 26 years in the past, on April 20, 1999, two youngsters rushed the highschool in Columbine, Colorado and fatally shot a dozen classmates and a trainer. Hochhalter was left paralyzed within the assault.

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With Hochhalter’s loss of life, the entire quantity of people that died from the capturing, not together with the 2 teenage attackers who shot themselves, is now 14.

The different Columbine victims have been: Teacher William “Dave” Sanders, 47; Cassie Bernall, 17; Steve Curnow, 14; Corey DePooter, 17; Kelly Fleming, 16; Matt Kechter, 16; Daniel Mauser, 15; Daniel Rohrbough, 15; Rachel Scott, 17; Isaiah Shoels, 18; Lauren Townsend, 18; John Tomlin, 16 and Kyle Velasquez, 16.

Hochhalter’s brother Nathan stated a strain sore, a typical drawback for individuals residing with paralysis, led to sepsis. He stated he knew that his sister’s life would doubtless be shorter due to her paralysis however her loss of life this early was surprising.

“We didn’t think it would be this bad this soon,” he stated.

Hochhalter struggled with intense ache from her gunshot wounds within the years following the capturing, however fought onerous to to beat the issues of her accidents and stay constructive, household and buddies stated.

Her personal tragedy was deepened by the suicide of her mom Carla, six months after the college capturing. Hochhalter stated her mom suffered from melancholy and stated she didn’t imagine the shootings have been on to blame for her loss of life.

After her mom’s passing, she grew to become the “acquired daughter” of one other household that misplaced a baby within the Columbine capturing, Lauren Townsend. Townsend’s stepmother, Sue Townsend, reached out to assist Hochhalter as a means to deal with her personal grief, however ultimately Hochhalter was coming over for household dinners and becoming a member of them on holidays.

“She brought a light to our lives that will shine for a long time,” Townsend stated.

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Hochhalter attended a vigil marking the twenty fifth anniversary of the capturing final yr, after skipping an identical occasion 5 years earlier due to post-traumatic stress dysfunction, she stated in a social media put up.

This time she stated she was flooded with pleased reminiscences from her childhood and stated she wished these killed remembered for the way they lived, not how they died.

“I’ve truly been able to heal my soul since that awful day in 1999,” she wrote.

Since Columbine, there have been over 390 college shootings ensuing within the deaths of at the very least 203 individuals, based on Brady United, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention group.

A then-17-year-old Hochhalter was consuming lunch along with her buddies when she was shot within the again and chest. Her accidents left her paralyzed from the waist down and with power ache.

She devoted her life to advocating for gun violence prevention and lately appeared at a twenty fifth anniversary vigil to honor the victims.

In 2016, she penned a letter to one of many moms of the assailants, Sue Klebold, telling her: “Just as I wouldn’t wish to be judged by the sins of my relations, I maintain you in that very same regard…It’s been a tough street for me, with many medical points due to my spinal twine harm and intense nerve ache, however I select to not be bitter in direction of you.”

Hochhalter liked canine and serving to members of her household, kin instructed CNN.

With reporting from the Associated Press