Coni is a physician in Columbine, Colorado, USA.
Over the years, Coni has always encountered a strange phenomenon, from time to time strangers come to her, hand her baby to Coni's arms, and let her hold it for a group photo.
Whenever Coni wanted to ask, the other party would leave in a hurry.
Years later, she finally understood why:
The strangers were former Colombine High School students, and it was Coni's father, Dave Sanders, who sacrificed himself to save their lives in the nationwide shooting.
Take a photo with Dave's daughter with the baby, just to remember and be grateful - without Dave, there would be no continuation of these lives...
(Coni recounts the experience of being photographed)
It all started 25 years ago.
In 1999, 18-year-old Harris and 17-year-old Klebold at Colombine High School began plotting a school shooting.
The idea has been brewing since three years ago. At the time, Harris and Klebold not only learned the art of homemade explosives online, but also made a "shooting list" of those they wanted to kill with their guns.
At that time, the two already had strong antisocial tendencies, and they wanted to vent all the dissatisfaction they encountered in their lives on the school, teachers and students.
（枪手Harris）
（枪手Klebold）
After collecting enough guns and ammunition, Harris and Klebold drove to the school on the morning of April 20.
At this time, the whole school was still in the dark, and Dave, the school's computer and business teacher, was ready to leave after class, because it was his mother-in-law's birthday, and Dave made an appointment to go to his mother-in-law's house for lunch with his wife and daughter.
(Hero Teacher Dave)
However, before Dave could walk out of the school gate, he saw a commotion in the crowd.
It turned out that Harris and Klebold, who arrived at the school by car, had already started to do it, and they first threw a Molotov cocktail near the parking lot.
After the Molotov cocktails attracted a large number of school security personnel to check them out, Harris and Klebold snuck into the school cafeteria and planted two 9-kilogram time bombs.
(School security staff directs students)
The two bombs were powerful enough to destroy the entire cafeteria and kill a large number of teachers and students who came to eat.
Harris and Klebold then returned to the car and waited quietly for the explosion to occur, but the bomb did not detonate as planned.
Annoyed, Harris and Klebold pulled out the guns they had in their backpacks, including two shotguns, a 9mm semi-automatic carbine and a pistol, and rushed towards the restaurant, where they were going to go on a killing spree!
(Harris and Klebold burst into the restaurant at gunpoint)
At 11:19 a.m., Harris and Klebold fired at the same time, shooting indiscriminately into the crowd...
Dave soon heard that a student had been shot and collapsed in the cafeteria, and he immediately decided to evacuate the student immediately.
(Dave, who also serves as a basketball coach)
Dave then rushed into the vicinity of the cafeteria, shouting for the students to leave. After hearing Dave's warning, a large number of students began to turn around and flee for their lives.
After evacuating the students in the cafeteria, Dave rushed to the hallway of a school building, shouting at the students inside to evacuate quickly, and the gunmen were coming this way.
Dave's warning saved another group of students, and dozens of students rushed to escape for their lives or find a place to hide.
By this time, Harris and Klebold had already killed red-eyed, and they shot several people in succession, and then walked in the direction of the school building.
The two of them saw Mr. Dave, who was evacuating the crowd, and they couldn't help but say something, and they raised their hands to shoot.
Dave couldn't dodge and was shot multiple times in the abdomen, neck, and head, and collapsed on the floor of a classroom, bleeding profusely.
When the rescuers found him, Dave said with the last of his strength before he died:
"Tell my daughters that I love them..."
(Dave and his daughters)
Harris and Klebold also entered the library, shot several people, and then committed suicide with their guns raised.
In the end, this sensational school shooting in the United States left 15 people dead and 27 injured.
Regardless of his personal safety, Mr. Dave, who evacuated and saved hundreds of people, became a hero praised by the teachers and students of the school.
At that time, Coni, as a daughter, was too young to understand her father's behavior
For a long time, Coni had a lot of complaints about her father:
"How could he do that? He could have left, why did he run to a dangerous place!?"
"I don't want him to be a hero, I just want him to go home......"
(People who survived the shooting)
After that, the whole country began to reflect on the Colombine high school shooting, shooting games, gun websites, and gun ownership issues have become the object of criticism, but not many people care about Dave, the teacher who bravely broke into the rain of bullets and saved hundreds of people.
As the years passed, Coni also faded into oblivion of her father's past, and she only vaguely remembered:
My father was shot and killed in order to inform everyone to leave...
Over the next twenty years, Coni grew into a doctor and began to encounter strange things:
Someone comes to her with her newborn baby in her arms and asks Coni to take a picture with the child.
Coni didn't understand at first, and asked a few people, but the other party only replied lightly:
Because your father...
It wasn't until many years later that she finally got to the bottom of it from a person who came to take a group photo:
It turned out that these people were all students who were saved by Dave's loud warning, and many years later, they started a family and thanked Dave for saving his life.
The students felt that without Dave, they would not be able to live to the present day, let alone have children and grandchildren.
Taking a picture of your child with Mr. Dave's daughter represents a sense of gratitude and remembrance.
Perhaps because they didn't want to irritate Coni, who was suffering from the loss of his father, or because they themselves couldn't face the past, many chose not to explain too much to Coni.
(Students commemorate the portrait of Mr. Dave)
And this year, it is the 25th anniversary of the Colombine High School shooting, and recalling his father's actions, Coni slowly understands and is relieved:
"People tell me that my father's influence extends far beyond the classroom. He showed everyone the courage and qualities of being a teacher. ”
"Now, when students hold their children into my arms and tell me, 'This child exists because of your father,' I feel that my father has left a deep mark on the world. ”
A few years ago, Coni joined a gun ban campaign to promote the prevention of school shootings and the fight against school violence.
Coni couldn't help but sigh about this:
"It was an indelible pain for me as a teenager. But today, I am finally able to carry my father's legacy forward. ”
(Coni participates in the campaign)