Columbine survivor's death ‘best classified as homicide': Coroner report
Anne Marie Hochhalter, 43, who suffered two gunshot wounds during the massacre, died on Feb. 16 at her home, according to her former principal, Frank DeAngelis.
The Jefferson County Coroner's Office released a copy of her autopsy report on Wednesday.
The report stated that two gunshot wounds Hochhalter suffered in 1999, resulting in her use of a wheelchair in the 25 years since, likely turned into further issues and led to her death. The report said that Hochhalter died of 'sepsis due to Streptococcus pyogenes.'
'Complications of paraplegia due to two remote gunshot wounds are a significant contributing factor,' the report stated. 'The manner of death is best classified as homicide.'
Hochhalter's family previously said they suspected she died of natural causes stemming from her injuries from the massacre, where two seniors shot and killed 12 students and one teacher, then killed themselves. Another 21 people were injured by the gunfire.
Hochhalter spoke out in 2016 in support of the mother of one of the shooters who released a book reflecting on the mass shooting, especially concerning her relationship with grief and battles with shame.
Hochhalter wrote at the time in a lengthy Facebook post that she wasn't sure she would ever read the book but said she had forgiven the mass murderer's mother.
In 2012, Hochhalter also spoke publicly in support of the families and survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
'I really hope the good stories will come out and show a community can come together just like Littleton did after Columbine,' Hochhalter said. 'I feel kind of helpless when I hear about these things and I want to help, I just don't really know how.'
'Thank God somebody reported': Parents react to Ponderosa High School bomb threat
The Associated Press reported that Hochhalter struggled with intense pain from her gunshot wounds over the past 25 years. Yet her brother said she was tireless in her drive to help others — from people with disabilities to rescue dogs and members of her family.
'She was helpful to a great many people. She was really a good human being and sister,' her brother, Nathan Hochhalter, told The Associated Press.
Hochhalter attended the 25th-anniversary vigil in April with her brother, who was trapped in a classroom during the shooting. She had not attended the 20th-anniversary event because of post-traumatic stress disorder, she said in a social media post last year.
'I've truly been able to heal my soul since that awful day in 1999,' she wrote.
Others killed in the Columbine mass shooting were Rachel Scott, 17; Daniel Rohrbough, 15; William David Sanders, 47; Kyle Velasquez, 16; Steven Crunow, 14; Cassie Bernall, 17; Isaiah Shoels, 18; Matthew Kchter, 16; Lauren Townsend, 18; John Tomlin, 16; Kelly Fleming, 16; Daniel Mauser, 15, and Corey DePooter, 17.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Witnesses to Felix Baumgartner's fatal paragliding crash heard large boom as it spun to the ground
PORTO SANT'ELIPIDO, Italy (AP) — Beachgoers knew something was wrong when they heard a loud boom ring out as a paraglider spun out of control, killing its only occupant, extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, when it crashed next to a swimming pool near the Adriatic Sea. A 30-year-old mother watched the deadly descent unfold Thursday afternoon from nearby with her two young children, who were entranced by the constant traffic of paragliders above the beach town of Porto Sant'Elipido in central Italy's Marche region. 'Everything was normal, then it started to spin like a top,'' Mirella Ivanov said Friday. 'It went down and we heard a roar. In fact, I turned around because I thought it crashed on the rocks. Then I saw two lifeguards running, people who were running toward' the crash site. When she saw people trying to revive the occupant, she scurried her two children away. The city's mayor confirmed the death of 56-year-old Baumgartner, who was renowned as the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound. The cause of the paragliding accident was under investigation. Police did not return calls asking for comment. 'It is a destiny that is very hard to comprehend for a man who has broke all kinds of records, who has been an icon of flight, and who traveled through space,' Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella told The Associated Press. Ciarpella said that Baumgartner had been in the area on vacation, and that investigators believed he may have fallen ill during the fatal flight. Baumgartner's social media feed features videos of him in recent days flying on a motorized paraglider —known as paramotoring — above seaside towns, and taking off from a nearby airfield surrounded by cornfields. The Clube de Sole Le Mimose beachside resort where the crash occurred said in a statement that an employee who was 'slightly injured' in the accident was in good condition. No guests were injured, and the pool has been reopened. In 2012, Baumgartner, known as 'Fearless Felix,' became the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body. He wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule hoisted more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth by a giant helium balloon over New Mexico. The Austrian, who was part of the Red Bull Stratos team, topped out at 843.6 mph — the equivalent of 1.25 times the speed of sound — during a nine-minute descent. At one point, he went into a potentially dangerous flat spin while still supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, his crew later said. Baumgartner's altitude record stood for two years until Google executive Alan Eustace set new marks for the highest free-fall jump and greatest free-fall distance. In 2012, millions watched YouTube's livestream as Baumgartner coolly flashed a thumbs-up when he came out of the capsule high above Earth and then activated his parachute as he neared the ground, lifting his arms in victory after he landed. Baumgartner, a former Austrian military parachutist, made thousands of jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers and famed landmarks, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. In 2003, he flew across the English Channel in a carbon fiber wing after being dropped from a plane. In recent years, he performed with The Flying Bulls, an aviation team owned and operated by Red Bull, as a helicopter stunt pilot in shows across Europe.
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Brazil's former President Bolsonaro ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor
SAO PAULO — Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered to wear an ankle monitor, his press office said on Friday. The development came as federal police conducted searches at his home and his party's headquarters in Brasília, according to people familiar with the court order. Local media reported that Bolsonaro is also barred from using social media or contacting other individuals under investigation by the Supreme Federal Court, including his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian lawmaker who currently lives in the United States and is known for his close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump. A police statement said that officers in Brasília carried out 'two search and seizure warrants, in addition to precautionary measures other than arrest, in compliance with a decision by the Supreme Court.' The statement did not name Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is currently on trial at the Supreme Court accused of leading an alleged attempt to stage a coup to overturn the 2022 election in which he was defeated by left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Live aerial footage from local broadcasters showed federal police vehicles outside Bolsonaro's residence in Brasília. Congressman Sóstenes Cavalcante, the leader of Bolsonaro's party in the lower house, told The Associated Press that officers also searched Bolsonaro's office at the party's headquarters. He described the operation as 'another chapter in the persecution of conservatives and right-wing figures' in Brazil. A lawyer for Bolsonaro did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, Brazil's Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet said in a report to the Supreme Court that the 'evidence is clear: the defendant acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilization of the democratic rule of law.' Bolsonaro has described the trial on X as a 'witch hunt,' echoing a term used by Trump when he came to his South American ally's defense last week. Last week, Trump imposed a 50% import tax on Brazil, directly tying the tariffs to Bolsonaro's trial. The U.S. president has hosted the former Brazilian president at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020. Trump compared the Brazilian's situation to his own. On Tuesday, speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump repeated the claim that the trial is a 'witch hunt.' Pessoa writes for the Associated Press.
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘We're tired of this': Cicero residents demand action from town president after Latina aunt stopped by federal agents
Vanessa Mendoza, an early childhood educator in Cicero, was gathering materials for her classroom in late June when she paused to look at Facebook. What she saw shocked her. Posted on the social media site was a video of her aunt, Rocío, being pulled over by unidentified agents driving black vehicles who questioned her citizenship — despite her legal status to be in the United States. The agents did not specify why they pulled Rocío over or which agency they were affiliated with, Mendoza, 32, who grew up in Cicero, said at a news conference outside the town hall Thursday morning. After Rocío showed identification, she was not arrested or detained, her niece added. 'It was either a legal stop or maybe, I don't want to say, they were targeting her for being Latina,' she said. On Thursday, local officials and community members condemned 20-year Town President Larry Dominick for remarks he previously made about the immigrant community, especially as federal enforcement actions intensify under President Donald Trump. About 90% of Cicero's residents are Latino, a group that has been repeatedly targeted by the Trump administration. Rocío's interaction with the unidentified agents comes at a time of increased news and social media reports of citizens of Latino descent being stopped or detained. After a U.S. Army veteran was arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm last week, representatives in Congress introduced legislation on Wednesday that would stop U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement from detaining and deporting U.S. citizens. Law-abiding residents aren't supposed to be arrested or detained, and there was no probable cause for Rocío to be pulled over, Mendoza said Thursday. She said her aunt is still shaken and won't go anywhere without her identification. Cicero has a complicated political history toward immigrants, said former U.S. Rep. Luis Guitiérrez, who used to represent the state's 4th Congressional District. Guitiérrez spoke strongly against Dominick, who he said has in recent years publicly spoken in a 'mean, nasty and violent' manner about immigrants. 'Stop destroying families that love each other,' he said. 'We're outraged. We're tired of this. ' At Thursday's news conference, lifelong Cicero resident Diana Garcia played a recording of Dominick allegedly speaking at public town meetings. In the clip, Dominick can be heard lamenting former President Joe Biden's border policies and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's approach to welcoming new migrants. 'You can't go anywhere without people selling candy, soda or water. And they don't even want to sell. Some of them just want money. The Venezuelans are robbing everybody. And what do we do to them? Nothing. It's disgusting,' Dominick was heard saying in the audio, which was also reported by the local newspaper Cicero Independiente from a Feb. 27, 2024, meeting. In a statement released late Thursday night, Cicero officials dismissed the accusations as complaints from Dominick's political opponents. The statement didn't address the comments Dominick allegedly made. Garcia asserted that Dominick has chosen to remain silent on the issue of immigration at a time when ICE has been 'tearing families apart.' 'Cicero deserves a leader right now. And we don't have one,' she said. At one point during the news conference, a woman passing by with a grocery bag stopped to stand in the back to listen to the speakers. She nodded her head in agreement. In late February, ahead of the town's municipal elections, Dominick was criticized by opposition candidate Esteban Rodriguez for his failure to advocate for the town to adopt sanctuary status. Dominick maintained Cicero's policy is to treat everyone, documented or in the country without legal permission, the same. He referred to a 'Safe Space Resolution' passed in 2008, which formalized a commitment not to use local law enforcement for immigration matters, preventing Cicero police from asking about immigration status or enforcing federal immigration laws. Meanwhile, Illinois is a 'sanctuary state' under the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, meaning it has rules prohibiting arresting or detaining someone solely due to immigration status. The tension escalated several weeks before the election, when Rodriguez had a rock thrown through his home windows in what he described as a scare tactic. He believed his windows were shattered in retaliation for his public probing of Dominick's immigration stance. Dominick's Cicero Voters Alliance, however, brushed off the incident as a 'political stunt' by Rodriguez to 'get attention and stir controversy.' Rodriguez — who received 43% of the vote for town president over the winter — was at the news conference Thursday, where those in attendance hand-delivered a letter to Dominick's office that requested 'immediate action' to declare Cicero a sanctuary city and stop any cooperation between local law enforcement officers and ICE. The group took an elevator to the town hall's third floor, where Dominick's office is located. The town president's office was closed and locked. 'It's because he's never here,' Rodriguez grumbled under his breath. They knocked and waited several minutes before deciding to slip the letter underneath the door. A Tribune reporter was able to enter the office later in the day and spoke to a receptionist, who directed all media inquiries to Dominick's email. The group also delivered a printed-out Freedom of Information Act request to the town of Cicero for all emails, text messages, letters, memos and notes between top town leaders and trustees including Dominick with several defamatory words and phrases. The request sought all communication from Jan. 20, when Trump was sworn into office, to the present. The goal, the group said Thursday, was to uncover the type of communication about immigration that might happen behind closed doors under Dominick's leadership. Mendoza, who wore a polka-dot dress and earrings in the shape of crayons, said that as an educator in Cicero, she is constantly answering questions from worried families who ask her what to do if ICE pulls them over. She tells them to not talk to anyone who they don't know and to keep their windows up. Ultimately, she said she isn't trying to work against Dominick, but to make sure everyone feels protected leaving their homes and driving through their own neighborhoods. 'Just make this a loving and safe place for everybody,' she urged the town leader.
