Anne Marie Hochhalter, Paralyzed in Columbine Shooting, Dies at 43

[mahatmakanejeeves]

The story is already in LBN, but I wanteed an obit for the American History forum.

Anne Marie Hochhalter, Paralyzed in Columbine Shooting, Dies at 43

Fiercely independent, she publicly discussed the long-term effects of gun violence and spoke of forgiveness.


Anne Marie Hochhalter, right, who was paralyzed in the mass shooting at Columbine High School, at a vigil in Denver last April on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the massacre. Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

By Michael Levenson
Feb. 18, 2025

Anne Marie Hochhalter, who spoke publicly about the long-lasting effects of gun violence after she was paralyzed in the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, was found dead on Sunday at her home in Westminster, Colo. She was 43.

The police said that officers had found Ms. Hochhalter after they were called for a welfare check. The Adams County coroner, which initially handled Ms. Hochhalter’s case, said it had been transferred to the Jefferson County coroner, “given that her death was likely related to complications of paraplegia associated with the Columbine shooting.” The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said that autopsy results were not yet available.

Sue Townsend, who became close to Ms. Hochhalter after her stepdaughter, Lauren Townsend, was killed in the shooting, said that Ms. Hochhalter had been dealing with lingering effects from her injuries, including a pressure sore and an infection.

Ms. Hochhalter was eating lunch with friends when two students opened fire at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., on April 20, 1999, killing 12 other students and a teacher before fatally shooting themselves. ... Ms. Hochhalter, a junior who was 17, was shot twice — once in the chest and once in the back — and was paralyzed from the waist down. Her brother, Nathan Hochhalter, who was a freshman at Columbine, was trapped in the school for hours until a SWAT team arrived.

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Ms. Hochhalter, second from left, met the Canadian pop star Celine Dion after her performance in Denver in 1999, with two other Columbine High School students: Beth Ratay, left, and Kim Chlumsky, right. The Denver Post/Associated Press

Six months after the shooting, their mother, Carla June Hochhalter, walked into a pawnshop, asked to see a gun, loaded it and killed herself. The elder Ms. Hochhalter, 48, had been struggling with depression and other mental health issues before the Columbine shooting, her daughter later said.

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Kitty Bennett contributed research.

https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-levenson
Michael Levenson] covers breaking news for The Times from New York. More about Michael Levenson