17 Disturbing Photos With Horrifying Backstories

15. Columbine Class Picture

Columbine Photo

The Columbine High School massacre that took place in 1999 will live in infamy as one of the most horrific school shootings of all-time, and the one that brought worldwide attention to issues such as bullying, gun control and mental health among teens. The two boys who carried out the killings on their Colorado classmates, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were initially thought to have been bullied outcasts, although eventually it was determined that Harris was a psychopath and Klebold a manic-depressive.

This photo, taken in 1999 just a few weeks before the shooting, shows the perpetrators of the killings in the top left of the photo, pretending to aim guns at the camera. For those that saw it, at the time it probably just seemed like teenagers goofing off as usual. But in retrospect, the picture takes on a chilling context, giving us a glimpse into the mindset of the two teens who would slaughter their classmates just days later.

 
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Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.