The parents of Columbine HS gunman Dylan Klebold have stunned authorities by filing court papers blaming them for failing to prevent the teen’s bombs-and-bullets rampage.
In a bizarre twist of the blame game, Susan and Thomas Klebold served notice of their intent to sue the Jefferson County sheriff’s department and school district.
The papers charge that officials mishandled a complaint filed about Dylan’s violent threats a year before he and pal Eric Harris killed 13 people and themselves on April 20.
They contend that if investigators had told them about their son’s Internet rantings and Harris’ violent tendencies, they would have kept the two boys apart and prevented the mass murder.
The authorities’ failure “was so reckless, willful and wanton as to have caused the Klebolds to be subject to substantial damage claims, vilification, grief and loss of enjoyment of life.”
County officials said they were astonished by the claim.
“I hope the lawyers who have filed these notices review the cases and realize that there is no legal liability,” said Bill Tuthill, assistant Jefferson County attorney.
Legal experts said the Klebolds – who have already been sued by one of their son’s victims and are expecting to be hit with more claims – are trying to bolster their own defense.
The couple will seek damages only equal to those claimed against them by families who believe they should have prevented their son from carrying out the worst school shooting in U.S. history.
Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone, who is named in the Klebolds’ legal filing, agrees.
“I think it’s outrageous,” he said. “It’s their parenting thing, not our fault for their kid doing this thing.
“I’d just like to put this thing behind us because this thing is getting to an ugly stage now, with a bunch of lawyers trying to capitalize on it,” he told the Denver Post.
The Klebolds filed their notice Friday, the deadline for legal action. Thirteen other families have filed similar notices and they now have at least a year to bring suit.