Audio Experts Review Columbine Dispatch Tape

Many Questions Remain Unanswered

A forensic audio expert said Wednesday that in his opinion, a Jefferson County sheriff's deputy did not identify one of the Columbine gunman as "the sheriff's guy" during a police dispatch call at the time of the attack.

See The Audio Expert's Analysis
Sheriff Won't Answer Questions
Listen To The Taped Conversation 7NEWS originally reported that Sergeant Rich Millsapps referred to Columbine gunman Eric Harris as "the sheriff's guy" during a conversation that took place as the shooting was in progress. Millsapps told a local newspaper that he was saying "this Harris guy" on the Columbine dispatch tape. 7NEWS took the dispatch conversation to Rich Sanders, a certified audio forensics expert, who has testified in local court cases. He ran the dispatch conversation through a software enhancement program and said that in his opinion, Millsapps did not say "the sheriff's guy" -- but did say "this Harris guy." "It's six syllables, and it's 1.1 seconds in real time, so when you slow it down, you can tell the placements of the consonants a little easier," Sanders said. Another expert said that his audio tape enhancement leads him to the conclusion that Millsapps is saying "the sheriff's guy," Hayden said. The sheriff's department has declined to answer 7NEWS' questions about what the department knew about Harris and alleged pipe bomb threats made before the Columbine attack, as well as why the department apparently dropped an investigation into those threats. There are still many unanswered questions, 7NEWS reporter Julie Hayden said. "For instance, what exactly did Millsapps mean by 'this Harris guy,'?" Hayden said. According to the newspaper he spoke with, Millsapps said that he heard Harris' name on TV and radio news broadcasts, in what he called "the aftermath of the shootings." The dispatch conversation did not occur in the aftermath -- it occurred while Harris and Klebold were still in the cafeteria shooting, well before any major news organizations were broadcasting the alleged gunmans' names, Hayden said. The sheriff's department is still not answering questions about why the Harris pipe bomb investigation was never pursued a year before the Columbine attack. "Millsapps originally told me he never had the conversation recorded on the tapes," Hayden said. "For several days, we tried to get him and the sheriff's department to clarify that, but they would not comment," Hayden said. Previous Stories: