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Killer's mood turned ugly at Platte school

Report details events leading to death of Keyes

Published August 10, 2007 at midnight

BAILEY - The last hostage to get out alive just seconds before Duane Morrison killed Emily Keyes and then himself inside a classroom at Platte Canyon High School said the gunman's mood flashed from compassion to violence.

Morrison, 53, had sexually molested several of the girls, then allowed the last four to drink bottled water and call their families from their cell phones.

But because of poor reception, only 16-year-old Keyes was able to get text messages through to her family.

"I luv u guys," she wrote.

The description of Morrison's mood swings is among a mountain of details in a 2,525-page report of the Sept. 27 shooting released Thursday by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

After allowing the cell-phone calls, Morrison released two more hostages, one at a time, ordering the girls to close the door behind them.

It was then he confessed to Keyes and the other remaining hostage that a bomb he threatened to use to blow up the school was "just a bluff." He also told the girls he wanted to commit suicide but didn't want them to see or hear it.

Morrison told the girls he might kill himself in 20 minutes or three hours, he wasn't sure.

When Morrison heard police SWAT team members closing in, he "went into a rage." He put the two girls in front of him as a shield.

The surviving hostages all described how Keyes served as a go-between for Morrison as police tried to coax him out of the English classroom.

According to the statements, as police tried asking Morrison what he wanted, Emily shouted, "Just wait."

"How long," police asked.

"I don't know how long," Keyes answered.

It was apparent by the tone of Emily's voice that she was getting more upset, the report stated. Then police asked, "Is he hurting you?"

Emily responded, "No."

Police asked again for Morrison to come out of the room. Emily said, "Just wait until 4 o'clock."

A SWAT team stormed the classroom, a decision made partly based on information that Morrison was sexually abusing the hostages and out of fear that 4 p.m. was a deadline he had set to blow up the school or commit some other violent act.

As lawmen entered the classroom, Morrison, who had been holding a gun to Emily's head, pulled the trigger then turned the weapon on himself as officers opened fire.

The other hostage ran from the classroom and into the arms of SWAT team members.

Morrison was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:57 p.m. Emily was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died of a gunshot wound to the head.

The report included graphic photos of Morrison's body lying on the blue classroom carpet and the bloodstained walls.

The report did not include other items and information, including details of the sexual assaults on the hostages and a video that was taken by students in a nearby multimedia class.

Detective Amy Franck, with the Park County Sheriff's Office, said the only local citizen to come by and look at the report by early Thursday afternoon was the mother of a hostage who wanted to read her daughter's interview.

A copy of the report also had been given to Keyes' parents.

Franck said: "For me, this represents closure. I think local citizens have moved on. I know I'm looking forward to that."

She said her thoughts are with the Keyeses and the six hostages who survived the attack.

"They are called the Awesome Six," she said, and wished them well in their lives.

New details released Thursday

Mood swings and confessions: Gunman Duane Morrison molested his hostages, then allowed them to drink water and call family members. He also told the girls that a bomb he said he had in a backpack was a bluff.

Inside the classroom: The lights had been turned off, and Morrison's position in a corner made it very difficult for police to determine what was going on. A mirror and optical camera were used to get a better look, but when Morrison detected the camera, he became agitated and it was taken away.

Emily Keyes as go-between: During the standoff, Morrison used the 16-year-old to communicate with law enforcement. She conveyed Morrison's orders for them to stay away, and later to wait until 4 p.m. Police believed that was a deadline Morrison had set either to blow up the school or take other violent action.

Molestations: Interviews with hostages revealed more details about the sexual assaults. Morrison had them stand with their backs to him at a blackboard and then systematically removed them and took them to the back of the classroom. The hostages overheard a number of girls sobbing and pleading with the gunman.

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