Isaiah Shoels, The Black Student Taunted Before His Death
Daniel Mauser Memorial WebsiteIsaiah Shoels’ family members believe that his death was a hate crime because of how the shooters racially taunted him.
Like the other Columbine shooting victims, Isaiah Shoels had big dreams. Born on August 4, 1980, the 18-year-old was weeks away from his high school graduation and dreamt of entering the music industry after college.
On the day of the shooting, Shoels was in the library. His brother and sister were able to escape the massacre — Isaiah’s father credits Dave Sanders with helping his daughter flee the school — but Shoels was trapped in the library. When Harris and Klebold entered, he hid under a table with fellow students Matthew Kechter and Craig Scott (the brother of Rachel Scott).
Once Harris and Klebold had killed Velasquez, Curnow, and Bernall, they focused their attention on the three boys hiding under the table. And the shooters especially focused on Shoels due to his race.
Shoels FamilyYoung Isaiah Shoels with his parents.
“There’s a n***er over here!” one of the gunmen shouted.
Harris and Klebold then tried to pull Shoels out from his hiding place while taunting him with racial slurs. Harris ultimately shot Shoels in the chest, killing him. Then, one of the shooters said, “Look at this Black kid’s brain! Awesome, man!” even though Shoels had not been hit in the head.
To Shoels’ family, his death was a hate crime.
“[I]f they say, I’m playing the race card, let them say it,” his father, Michael, told Denver7 in 2024. “They said, ‘Where’s that little n***er?’ Who else could they be talking about? The world knows it’s a hate crime.”
