Timeline of events
Sanders went outside to see what was going on possibly through the Northwest cafeteria door because that’s where a witness saw Sanders when he told everyone to get down. Erik Sunde, p.4575
Joseph Tran saw Sanders come into the cafeteria from the teacher’s lounge area, which is right by the vending machines. p.4636
Sanders came back into the cafeteria and told everyone to get down. Tyler Stark, p.4520
Sanders doesn’t immediately fall when he’s shot. First, he leans up against the wall, and then he is seen on all fours bleeding (p.4969). That’s when he’s helped into a classroom and he falls down in the doorway.
Who shot Dave Sanders?
The official summary constructed by Jeffco states that Dave Sanders was “mortally wounded” when he turned the corner from the library hallway. The summary also states, “Ballistics cannot positively identify the bullets or the weapon used to shoot Sanders. Evidence indicates that both Klebold and Harris at some point fired their weapons South down the library hallway.”
Klebold likely shot Sanders in the hallway
Elisha Encinias was running up the stairs and down the hallway towards the library with Mr. Sanders about two feet behind her. She saw a suspect matching Klebold’s description enter the school through the West doors and that suspect shot at her and Mr. Sanders with ‘rapid fire.’ Both she and Mr. Sanders fell. p.2946-2947
Where was Dave Sanders shot?
According to the official report, Dave Sanders was shot twice in the hallway while he was turning the corner from the library hallway to the science hallway.
X witnesses saw Dave Sanders injured before he ran up the stairs
Nathan Vanderau [pp.4676-4686] Adam Foss [pp.4927-4931] Samuel Granillo [pp.3176-3183] Matthew DePew [pp.2825-2841]
Everyone in the cafeteria stood up to look out the windows. A teacher came in the door by Vanderau’s table and told everybody to get down and get upstairs. This teacher was Mr. Sanders and he was holding his arm and may have been shot.
Vanderau saw a glimpse of a gunman come through the door that Mr. Sanders used to enter the cafeteria. Based on the gunmman’s clothing and a quick glimpse of his face, Vanderau believes the gunman was Dylan Klebold.
-Nathan Vanderau
Witness Testimony, p.4677
Nathan said that moments later, Mr. Sanders ran by holding his arm or shoulder and was telling everyone to get down under the tables.
-Nathan Vanderau
Witness Testimony, p.4683
Adam Foss’ testimony indicates that Sanders was already bleeding when he got to the top of the stairs, before he was shot in the hallway. Foss was just three feet from the stairs and witnessed Sanders come up the stairs, bleeding, and then saw him get shot.
Adam stated he then saw Mr. Sanders come up the stairs, bleeding. Adam stated Ms. Miller and Mr. Sanders were closest to the science hall. Adam stated he was about 3′ from the stairs and he saw the barrel of a shotgun. He thinks it was a single barrel.
Adam continued by saying at this time the gun fired at Mr. Sanders. Mr. Sanders stepped in front of Ms. Miller just before the shot.
-Adam Foss
Witness Testimony, p.4930
We sat down and were comfortable eating, and everybody just stood up like there was a fight outside. I didn’t hear anything, but Mr. Sanders came running back and yelled, ‘Everybody get the hell down right now!’
We got under the table and saw him run outside, and then we heard a really loud boom. We stayed under the table and heard more shots. Mr. Sanders came in a second time. I think he was shot. It was hard to tell.
-Samuel Granillo
Note: Granillo didn’t mention Sanders possibly being shot in his initial testimony.
On the day of the attack I was sitting at table SS at the 1 o’clock position. I was [with] Sarah Slater (#4422). I saw everyone stand up. Mr. Sanders then ran in and said everybody get down. He ran back out. I then heard a loud explosion. Mr. Sanders again came and told everyone to get down.
-Samuel Granillo
Witness Testimony, p.3179
Matthew DePew said Sanders was by the teacher’s lounge and stepped outside of the cafeteria to get kids into the school and he saw Sanders jerk like he had been shot.
At that point Mr. Sanders came out of the East door of the faculty lounge. Mr. Sanders stepped outside briefly trying to get kids into the school. Matt stated he was on the ground at that point crawling East through the cafeteria with his friend Dan. They heard three more shots. Matthew stated he saw Mr. Sanders jerk as if he got shot too.
-Matthew DePew
Witness Testimony, p.2836
Zack stated Mr. Sanders was going East in the hallway and it looked like he got shot in the back. Zack stated it looked like Mr. Sanders was hit in the back near the upper left side rib area.
-Zack Cartaya
Witness Testimony, pp.4891-4892
“Ravi looked out the west window and saw some underclassmen run north west and jump over the baseball field fence. He thought there were three that went over the fence and one other guy followed them but fell near the sidewalk. He stated he thought Mr. Sanders walked up to this student then came running back toward the school. p.4124
p.4214 Sanders came in waving his arms
p.4330 saw Sanders on his hands and knees bleeding from the mouth also 2542
Establishes Sanders was in the faculty lounge when the shooting began. p.4161
p.2663 sanders fell on a rug in the doorway and used his arms to pull himself under a table
p.4440 saw Sanders go outside and then come right back in, then he looked out the door again and came back in.
p.3520 Dave went to check on Sean and p.3657
p.3621 saw Sanders outside then come in
p.3750 sanders told kids to run how can Randy belittle him?
p.4163 a teacher didn’t see any blood on Sean Graves even though he had been shot in the back.
Witnesses who saw Sanders bleeding
Cornwell then looked out the choir room door into the south hallway and towards the west. There he saw a male teacher, who had blood on him, running. He stated the teacher had either come from the stairway or from the hall which runs in front of the library.
Cornwell stated that after he saw the teacher who had blood on him, he saw the barrel of a gun, which appeared to be coming from either the stairway or from the hallway which runs in front of the library. Matt Cornwell pp.4913-4914
If Sanders was injured outside, why don’t we see his injury on the video?
First, there are two times when Sanders is seen running through the cafeteria. The first time, he’s on his way outside to see what’s going on. The second time, he’s making his way to the stairs.
First sighting of Sanders
Second sighting of Sanders
The video tape is extremely poor quality and wouldn’t necessarily make a 9mm wound to the chest visible. If he had been shot, it was immediately before he ran up the stairs, and unless his shirt was pressed against his chest,
How could Sanders run up the stairs if he had been shot?
That particular wound was not mortal or incapacitating; it’s normal for people to be able to run around after being shot. The body protects itself by releasing adrenaline and other hormones to mask the pain after a serious injury. It probably hurt plenty after a few minutes, but it wasn’t an incapacitating wound like the second shot that brought him down. A lot of wounded students ran after they got shot, too.
At this same time her teacher, Mr. Sanders, came running by telling everyone to get down. Nicole then said that there was someone outside shooing.
Lacey returned to the group and at this point Mr. Sanders came back by them and told everyone to run. Jennifer said that she crawled to the stairs leading to the library in the main level. At ths time someone shouted “They’re coming in,” and she stood up and ran up the stairs.
p.2427
Jennifer continued to say that the group moved down the south main level hallway toward the main exit at the east end of the building.
Jennifer continued to say that as she was running down the hall she heard a series of rapid fire shots from behind (west) her, and male voices laughing and saying “We got that one down, look at all the blood.” Jennifer advised that she believed that she heard the bullets going past her head.
Jennifer said that as the group approached the main exit she stopped running and at this time Mr. Sanders ran up behind her and pushed her. She said that Mr. Sanders told her to keep running.
Jennifer said that Mr. Sanders sounded like he was out of breath and she briefly turned and looked at him. At this time she noticed that his hands were covered in blood. She stated that she did not know if he had been injured or if the blood came from someone he was trying to help. Jennifer related that she asked Mr. Sanders if he was all right and he said yes and told her “go” “go.”
Jennifer said that as she started to run again. Mr. Sanders was kind of leaning against the wall. p.2428
