Talk with Father of Boy Killed at Columbine
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: April, 1999, four years ago a dozen students and a teacher killed in a massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado. The two teenagers who planned and carried out that attack, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, took their own lives inside the school that day. The families of the victims sued the parents of the killers. Many families settled out of court. But the family of Isaiah Shoales insists on a trial. Michael Shoales is Isaiah's father. He's live with us this morning in Houston. Also, his attorney, Geoffrey Feiger, comes to us from Southfield, Michigan. Also our program, AMERICAN MORNING, tried to contact attorneys for the Harris and Klebold families for comment, but we got no response after our efforts were made there. First to Mr. Shoales, and, again, my sympathies to you and your family again. I know it's a very tough time even four years removed for you. And this is something that will never be erased from your memory or your mind. But I want to know, Mr. Shoales, why do you consider it important right now to continue this court fight?</s>MICHAEL SHOALES, SON KILLED AT COLUMBINE: Well, first of all, it's all, this is about justice. There's been too many things that went on, I mean, you know, there that we need to find out about. I mean we lost a son and you can never ever recover that. I mean there's some things that need to be answered.</s>HEMMER: Yes, what things are you referring to, sir?</s>SHOALES: Well, the things which I'm referring to, I mean, look it, it's a major cover-up. I mean it's one cover-up after another there in Colorado. I mean we really, we really need to find out what happened so therefore another Columbine won't happen.</s>HEMMER: A judge has ordered you to accept the settlement. A number of families have. What do you believe this continued fight will do for you and your search for answers?</s>SHOALES: Well, first of all, it's going to give us some closure once we find out what really happened there in Columbine. I mean we all know that if certain people and certain organizations did what they were supposed to have done, that it might have not been that Columbine that day.</s>HEMMER: What do you believe, in your view, what do you believe the parents of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, what do you believe they are responsible for?</s>SHOALES: Well, first of all, I mean it's like this here, those are parents that knew that their kids was assembling weapons and bombs in their home. And there's no way that they shouldn't have -- they should have got in touch with authorities, even though it was their children. They should have got in touch with authorities and told them what they was planning on doing.</s>HEMMER: Short of calling the police, what could they have done to prevent that?</s>SHOALES: Short of calling the police, there is no such -- I mean, hey, if that was my son, I would have to call some type of authority because my son was either sick or deranged, and I needed to do something about it.</s>HEMMER: Continuing the legal fight, I'm assuming, is not easy for you. How much is this a difficult struggle for you, sir?</s>SHOALES: It's, I mean it's just like it happened yesterday. I mean the reason why we have to do it is because 72 hours before our son was slain down he asked us what would we do if someone shot all of our children down? So that lets me know that something was going on that he knew about.</s>HEMMER: Geoffrey...</s>SHOALES: And we need to find out what it was.</s>HEMMER: Yes, to Geoffrey Feiger, quickly, in Southfield, Michigan, I know this is a fight that you will continue. There was a memo that was essentially drafted by your assistant to you and given to the judge saying you would accept the terms of the agreement that was offered down by the family. But later you said, no, that was a mistake, that should not have been in there. I don't know if it's a technicality or not, but why the reversal from the letter that was given to the judge and the position today?</s>GEOFFREY FEIGER, SHOALES' ATTORNEY: Well, it was never given to the judge. It was never given to the defendants. It was a letter saying we'd participate in the settlement process. There's been a large endeavor going on throughout this case to resolve parts of the dispute. And we did resolve parts of the dispute. However, as to the Klebold and Harris families, we've never agreed. There's an institutional effort in Colorado, as Michael said, to suppress this thing, to not let it go any farther. It's a black mark on the State of Colorado and frankly the institutions in Colorado would rather put it under the rug and forget about it. And we refuse to do that. There's unanswered questions here. The Klebold and Harris families have never answered how and why their children were able to amass 90 propane bombs and the type of armaments that they had, not only in the school, but when the authorities went to their homes, they had pieces of guns laying out on their dressers. That's unacceptable without some answers. And Michael is right, there's no closure without those answers.</s>HEMMER: Geoffrey Feiger in Michigan, Michael Shoales, thanks again for your time, in Houston, as well.</s>FEIGER: Thanks, Bill.</s>HEMMER: We'll talk again.