Black Family Files Lawsuit Against Parents Of Columbine Gunmen

Jet, June 14, 1999

Vonda and Michael Shoels, whose son Isaiah was the lone Black victim in the Columbine High School shooting massacre in Colorado, are suing the parents of the gunmen.

Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger, best known for representing Dr. Jack Kevorkian, has filed a $250 million lawsuit on the Shoels' behalf against the parents of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris.

"As a society we need to extend responsibility of the actions of these killers to anyone who enabled it to occur," said Fieger. "It is inconceivable that two high school students could amass an arsenal of guns and bombs ... without help and a lack of supervision by parental authorities."

The lawsuit names Wayne and Katherine Harris and Thomas and Susan Klebold, whose sons hurled bombs and blasted away with guns inside Columbine on April 20, killing 12 students and a teacher before turning their weapons on themselves and committing suicide.

Witnesses said that Isaiah Shoels, a popular student athlete at the school, was targeted by the gunmen because he was Black.

Investigators said the teens had planned the attack for more than a year. In the Harris home, they reportedly found bomb-making materials and a diary that described how the massacre would be carried out.

The suit alleges the parents failed to take corrective action when their sons stockpiled guns and bombs, and gave them "extraordinary privileges" despite their run-ins with the law.