Los Angeles Times: Columbine Grand Jury to be Requested
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Columbine Grand Jury to be Requested
By STEVEN K. PAULSON
Associated Press Writer
January 4 2002, 4:49 AM PST
DENVER -- The family of a slain Columbine student will formally request a
federal grand jury investigation into claims he was accidentally killed by a
police officer during the 1999 massacre.
Federal and County prosecutors refused Thursday to look into allegations that
Daniel Rohrbough was killed by the officer, saying there was no reason to
believe any crime was committed.
Lawyer Barry Arrington said Thursday he would make an official request of U.S.
Attorney John Suthers by Monday.
Arrington said the Columbine tragedy falls within federal bounds because it
deals with an alleged conspiracy by the Jefferson County sheriff's office to
conceal the family's constitutional rights.
"Deprivation of life is a violation of the Constitution," Arrington said.
Gov. Bill Owens also made a push for a grand jury investigation after
prosecutors said they were declining to convene the panel.
"A grand jury investigation may be helpful in resolving the continuing
controversies surrounding Columbine," Owens said in a statement.
U.S. Attorney John Suthers said no one had formally requested a federal
investigation and no federal crimes have been alleged.
"You have to believe there was criminal conduct to convene a grand jury. We have
no reason to believe there was anything criminal that took place during the
investigation," said Pam Russell, spokeswoman for Jefferson County District
Attorney Dave Thomas.
Columbine students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 students and a
teacher during the April 20, 1999, attack before committing suicide, authorities
said.
The parents of some slain students have said they have proof that an officer
accidentally shot Rohrbough and that authorities tried to conceal it.
During a news conference Wednesday, the student's father, Brian Rohrbough,
played a tape recording of a voice he identified as Arapahoe County sheriff's
Deputy Jim Taylor describing the shooting. The man on the tape says he was
dispatched to Columbine when gunfire broke out.
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