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Deputy Admits to Columbine Tape [Admits its Him on Tape Saying Saw Student Shot,Yet Denies Its True!
Rocky Mountain News ^ | January 8, 2002 | Kevin Vaughan

Posted on 01/09/2002 12:14:37 PM PST by t-shirt

Deputy admits to Columbine tape

January 8, 2002

Sheriff says written statement on shooting of Rohrbough was true but that recording isn't

By Kevin Vaughan, News Staff Writer

A sheriff's deputy has acknowledged that it is his voice on controversial tape recordings in which he claimed to have seen a student shot at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan said he has heard the eight short sections of the tape that were played last week for reporters after Deputy Jim Taylor issued a written statement denying that he'd seen any of the victims wounded in the school tragedy.

"It is Taylor's voice, and he has admitted that it is him on those pieces," Sullivan said Monday.

Sullivan was asked how the tape recording matched Taylor's written statement, which was given Dec. 31.

"It doesn't," Sullivan said.

? However, Sullivan said he believes Taylor was telling the truth when he denied seeing anyone get shot.

The Dec. 31 statement "is solid," Sullivan said.

"It is the truth," he said. "What's on the tape isn't."

If Taylor did see Rohrbough get shot, it would call into question the official timeline of events issued by the Jefferson County sheriff's department, which has determined that Rohrbough was killed by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris in the first minutes of the rampage, before any law enforcement officers arrived.

Taylor, who has been with the department since 1988, remained on administrative leave Monday. He did not return a message left at his home.

The controversy came in the wake of a Dec. 26 court filing in which the family of Daniel Rohrbough named a Denver police officer as the alleged killer of the boy. In that court filing, the Rohrbough family cited as evidence statements made by Taylor to the boy's mother and stepfather, Sue and Rich Petrone.

They alleged that Taylor had told them he had seen Rohrbough get shot outside the school just after arriving.

Five days later, Sullivan's office issued a press release, claiming that Taylor was never in a position to see anyone get shot at the school. It also claimed that "Deputy Taylor states that he has not said anything to the Rohrbough family that could lead them to believe he witnessed any shots being fired at Columbine."

Then came the release of sections of the tape.

In them, Taylor talked about seeing a boy get shot in the chaos at the school. He told the Petrones that "it was Dan, and I didn't know that until I seen the photo the next morning in the newspaper that it was the boy that I seen."

That same day, Sullivan's office released Taylor's written Dec. 31 statement.

Sullivan said he could not discuss the conflict between the two statements because it is under investigation.

In the meantime, Sullivan and members of Rohrbough's family have agreed to meet Friday.

Sullivan has asked that he be allowed to hear the entire tape-recorded discussion involving the Petrones and Taylor and his wife.

But the boy's father, Brian Rohrbough, said, "I'm not going to release the full tape at this time."

Contact Kevin Vaughan at (303) 892-5019 or vaughank@RockyMountainNews.com.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: donutwatch
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To: beckett
Seems like they all took lessons from the Boulder Police Force who covered up for the Ramsey's. How sad!
21 posted on 01/09/2002 1:33:09 PM PST by OldFriend
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To: freedomcrusader; t-shirt
I heard this AM on one of the local Denver news stations that this officer is finished (he will be fired or forced to resign) because of lying.

Of course he'll be canned -- he blew part of the coverup.

The one who actually killed Daniel will most likely get a promotion.

t-shirt: Just for info, there's no Columbine Police force. The over-200 who showed up at the school came from over a dozen different county and city agencies in the Denver metro area. That could explain some of the confusion.

My guess is that word went around immediately after the cop shot the boy, and all the silent brotherhood went into cover-up mode, and are still there.

22 posted on 01/09/2002 1:36:56 PM PST by meadsjn
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To: t-shirt
I've also wondered about the girl assassinated in the Subway shooting who was the best friend of one of the school fatalities (Cassie Burnall's friend, I believe). What did she see and what was she telling folks?
23 posted on 01/09/2002 1:40:55 PM PST by meadsjn
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To: Dane
Can you show us some examples of the Rocky Mountain News wanting to 'smear all cops'?

L

24 posted on 01/09/2002 1:41:55 PM PST by Lurker
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To: t-shirt
The main thing I remember is the heavily armed, bullet proof vested SWAT guys cowering outside while people inside were dead and dying. I don't think they're fit to wear the uniform.
25 posted on 01/09/2002 1:53:57 PM PST by jimt
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To: t-shirt
...it also claimed that "Deputy Taylor states that he has not said anything to the Rohrbough family that could lead them to believe he witnessed any shots being fired at Columbine .  Then came the release of the tape.

Guilty.

At best this officer committed a firing offence for telling these parents something that was false. I'd say what he said might have been actionable due to the psychological harm and pain it could have caused the parents.

At best he's a thoughtless ass. At worst he's committed criminal acts. And the outcome is that nobody will be quite sure which is the case.

His days in law enforcement are over.

26 posted on 01/09/2002 2:07:28 PM PST by DoughtyOne
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To: Dane
T-shirt and the Rocky Mountain News want to smear all cops.

18 posted on 1/9/02 2:13 PM Pacific by Dane

So in your twisted way of thinking a newspaper and me reporting with clear proof that a "cop" or any cops lied means we want to smear all cops?

Apparently to you equal justice for all and truth mean nothing. It's more important that certain officials, bureacrats, politicians, law enforcement, knights, noblemen or whoever your prefered classes of people are are protected from prosesution than getting truth and justice, huh?

27 posted on 01/09/2002 3:00:23 PM PST by t-shirt
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To: DoughtyOne; jimt;meadsjn;MissAmericanPie;Rain-maker;Lurker;OldFriend;Alamo-Girl;jeremiah;ChaseR...
Official to receive grand jury request

January 8, 2002

By Jeff Kass, Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

Colorado's U.S. attorney will receive a request today for a federal grand jury investigation into the Columbine High School shootings, according to an attorney representing the families of some victims.

Victims' families publicly called for such a probe last week, shortly after they filed a motion to reinstate the federal lawsuit that was dismissed last year.

Barry Arrington, attorney for five families, said in a news release that he will deliver the letter to U.S. Attorney John Suthers asking him "to investigate the cover-up of possible violations of federal law by the Jefferson County sheriff's department."

The release said the violations are reflected in the federal lawsuit.

That lawsuit said that police failed to catch warning signs leading up to Columbine, and botched the law enforcement response once the shooting started.

Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for Suthers, said the U.S. attorney would examine Arrington's letter before making any detailed comment.

"Anything that that would support their accusations (and) support their request for an investigation would be helpful," Dorschner said.

Jacki Tallman, spokeswoman for the sheriff's department, said she respected the right of the victims' families to request a grand jury.

But if a grand jury were to convene, she said, "I don't believe that the findings will be anything new.

"I think it (the sheriff's official report) was an incredibly thorough investigation. We stand behind our findings."

http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/columbine/article/0,1299,DRMN_106_933398,00.html

28 posted on 01/09/2002 3:06:45 PM PST by t-shirt
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To: t-shirt
Apparently to you equal justice for all and truth mean nothing. It's more important that certain officials, bureacrats, politicians, law enforcement, knights, noblemen or whoever your prefered classes of people are are protected from prosesution than getting truth and justice, huh?

No. If I were King, that the facts reflect that those punks and Klebold and Harris hold the ultimate responsibilty for Columbine and that fact never be forgotten in the liberal media or those looking behind every corner for a conspiracy and also that the Rohrbaughs wouldn't be gold digging for a settlement.

There I said my peace.

29 posted on 01/09/2002 3:11:11 PM PST by Dane
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To: Dane
So we are to just forget about all the already 29 proven lies told by the government as listed in my thread yesterday?

Most of these lies are proveable by the government and/or it's agents own admissions and changing of testimony or changing of official stories.

And we are just to forget about all the proven prior knowledge and inaction by the government to prevent the murders of these children?

All for what? So you can have some deluded faith/worship in a big government police state?
----A police state which draws more power by allowing atrocities such as Columbine to happen so it can usurp more power?
I worship not at such an altar.

30 posted on 01/09/2002 3:21:06 PM PST by t-shirt
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To: Dane
The Rohrbaughs ...gold digging for a settlement.

These are people who had their child murder and want to know the truth and justice. The don't give a damn about getting money. The same damn thing I'd want if my child was murdered You obviously have no children.

31 posted on 01/09/2002 3:26:40 PM PST by t-shirt
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Comment #32 Removed by Moderator

To: Dane
the Rohrbaughs wouldn't be gold digging for a settlement.

You're an idiot. Brian Rohrbaugh has repeatedly stated, as recently as Monday 7 January 2002 on KHOW radio, that he'll withdraw the suit if Stone and all other agencies give him the truth and release ALL the records they're hiding. You are one ignorant slug.

Additionally, Taylor was justifiably fired today. Good riddance.


33 posted on 01/09/2002 3:48:52 PM PST by SMEDLEYBUTLER
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To: Dane
Something is seriously wrong when a line officer can be provoked into a high speed chase and confronted with a perp resisting arrest after the chase and be literally RAKED OVER THE COALS for shooting him while this guy sprays a machinegun into a crowd of children without a perp in sight and gets a pass.

These SWAT warriors and the whole SWAT team concept is out of control and will ruin the moral authority of the police.

REAL POLICEMEN DON'T WEAR BLACK UNIFORMS, WEAR FACEMASKS, CARRY GERMAN SUBMACHINEGUNS, USE GRENADES, AND KICK IN PEOPLE'S DOORS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

The one time in recent memory where a team like this MIGHT have come in handy was here and they withdrew because it was too dangerous to them. I watched Vince Dimana leader of the first squad "inserted" say they backed out because it was too dangerous and pointed to a grievous 1/4" scar on his chin. I was sickened. (Officer DiManna went on to lead a raid several months later where an unarmed man was shot through his bedroom door while on an unfruitful drug raid. Of course he skated. I guess they call that collateral damage.)

I said MIGHT above because in the 60's and early 70's a 2 man unit, no bulletproof vests, and armed with model 10s would have gone in and stopped these two punks. (Though they were already dead by the time the SWAT team went in according to later timelines.)

34 posted on 01/09/2002 3:59:03 PM PST by Nov3
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To: t-shirt
Do they mean they have done a thorough investigation, or a thorough cover up?
35 posted on 01/09/2002 3:59:51 PM PST by MissAmericanPie
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To: Dane
If I were King, that the facts reflect that those punks and Klebold and Harris hold the ultimate responsibilty for Columbine and that fact never be forgotten in the liberal media or those looking behind every corner for a conspiracy and also that the Rohrbaughs wouldn't be gold digging for a settlement.

If it turns out to be true that this guy opened up with an MP-5 on rock n roll into a crowd of students they deserve a settlement. It is the CLOSEST THEY WILL GET TO JUSTICE. The wacked out cop that did this will not face criminal charges.

36 posted on 01/09/2002 4:02:50 PM PST by Nov3
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To: Nov3; t-shirt; one_particular_harbour; SMEDLEYBUTLER
Who do you hold in more contempt?

Klebold and Harris or the cops?

37 posted on 01/09/2002 4:12:59 PM PST by Dane
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Comment #38 Removed by Moderator

To: Dane
Apples and oranges, dimwit. You're still an ignorant idiot. Maybe Brian, Sue and Barry will be happy to sue you after they're done with the cops, for your libelous statement. I'll be taking great pleasure in sending him your comments.
39 posted on 01/09/2002 4:23:06 PM PST by SMEDLEYBUTLER
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To: SMEDLEYBUTLER
Apples and oranges, dimwit. You're still an ignorant idiot. Maybe Brian, Sue and Barry will be happy to sue you after they're done with the cops, for your libelous statement. I'll be taking great pleasure in sending him your comments

Libelous staement? Come on and come after me after me for asking a question.

Like I stated to you before, you do you hold in more contempt?

Klebold and Harris or the cops.

40 posted on 01/09/2002 4:27:51 PM PST by Dane
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