By Arlene Levinson
AP National Writer
Saturday, May 1, 1999; 3:52 p.m. EDT
LITTLETON, Colo. -- The parents of one of the gunmen involved in the Columbine High School massacre have refused to talk with investigators because prosecutors will not give them immunity.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Mark Pautler said an attorney representing Wayne and Katherine Harris informed investigators of their decision when they tried to set up an interview. His office rejected the request Friday.
``We wanted to interview them as witnesses. We're disappointed they won't cooperate. We don't know why they think they needed immunity,'' Pautler said.
He said investigators had arranged to talk with the parents of the other gunman, Dylan Klebold.
Pautler said anyone with advance knowledge of the attack could be charged with a variety of crimes, from failing to report a crime to conspiracy.
``We don't have any reason to believe they (the Harrises) were participants in this offense,'' he said. ``We're disappointed they won't cooperate with us or speak to us. Not parenting properly is not an offense.''
Meanwhile, about 1,000 people gathered at the state Capitol in nearby Denver this morning for a protest demonstration during the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association.
Members of the crowd carried signs that read ``Shame on the NRA,'' and ``NRA, Pusher of Child Killer Machines,'' among others.
``I'm here because I'm very worried about the future for my children. I despair if guns are going to remain as readily available as they are now,'' said Frances Aramovich of Denver. She was accompanied by her children, Natalia, 4, and Tom, 6.
Gun control advocates, joined by Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, had urged the NRA to cancel the meeting in response to the shootings. NRA officials scaled back the gathering from three days to one, but refused to scrap the meeting.
On a hill overlooking the school, where mourners erected one cross for each of the 13 victims and the two gunmen, relatives of one student who died in the rampage destroyed the crosses for Harris and Klebold.
``I don't think any thinking person in this country is going to disagree with me,'' said Brian Rohrbough, whose son Daniel, 15, was killed. ``We never ever honor a murderer in the same place as the memorial for his victims.''
Rohrbough, 40, said many bystanders supported the family's actions.
Meanwhile, Jefferson County authorities responded to criticism that they ignored a complaint that Harris, 18, threatened to kill a classmate and had often talked about making and detonating pipe bombs.
A sheriff's deputy assigned to Columbine had been keeping an eye on Harris and Klebold, 17, after the reported threat, but officials said there was little they could do because the parents who reported the threats wanted to remain anonymous. And investigators found no evidence of lawbreaking.
``Without the ability to speak to a victim or positively identify a suspect, elements of a crime could not be established,'' said sheriff's spokesman Steve Davis.
About a year before the April 20 assault, Neil Gardner, the sheriff's deputy stationed at Columbine, received a ``suspicious incident'' report that Harris' Web site discussed detonating pipe bombs and committing mass murder.
Gardner was at Columbine when Harris and Klebold attacked the school with bombs and assault weapons. He exchanged fire with one of the gunmen.
The March 1998 incident report came from Randy Brown, who claimed his 18-year-old son Brooks had been repeatedly threatened by Harris, a schoolmate. Brown gave the sheriff's office printouts of Harris' Web site warnings, which included threats to kill.
``God, I can't wait until I can kill you people'' read one of the postings. ``I'll just go to some downtown area in some big (expletive) city and blow up and shoot everything I can.''
Police said the Browns refused to let their son's name be used in the investigation, and they also declined to file a formal complaint that would have allowed investigators to directly question Harris.
A threatening e-mail sent to Brooks Brown was deleted, so investigators were not able to follow up the lead. Detectives tried but could not find Harris' Web site.
The Browns told NBC News that the sheriff's department response to their report was ``ridiculous.''
``We were hoping they would go to the school. We were hoping they would go to the parents,'' Judy Brown said.
© Copyright 1999 The Associated Press
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