From The Website
A/N: The following content is taken from the website of Zero Day, which I accessed thanks to the user calgabriel directing me to the Wayback Machine website, which records and saves websites that have existed over the years. The Wayback Machine records the Zero Day website, presented as if it were a real website created by the fictional Essex County Sherriff's Department of Essex County, Connecticut, to inform the public on the events of May 1, 2001, as having been online from October 16, 2002 to August 26, 2004.
Because the website can be difficult to hunt down, especially since the website name is not "Zero Day dot-com" or something, I decided to create a fanfic to make the core of its content available to anyone looking to learn more about the movie. It presents the events of the movie as having happened at the fictional Iroquois High School in New Stratford, Connecticut, located in Essex County.
ZERO DAY
Zero Day was the code-word that two students used to describe the assault they planned for over a year, and which they finally executed on May 1st, 2001. On that warm and beautiful spring day, Andre Kriegman and Calvin Gabriel, two students of Iroquois High School, walked onto to their campus with three semiautomatic weapons, a shotgun, a revolver, at least twenty explosive devices and several knives. After a mere fifteen minutes, eleven students and one faculty member were dead, eighteen students were wounded, and the two gunmen had taken their own lives. Due to the rapid influx of inquiries and requests for information regarding the assault at Iroquois High School, the Essex County Sheriff's Department has published this website.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
The time line of events describes Kriegman and Gabriel's movements through Iroquois High School during their assault. For ease of navigation, the events have been broken down into 4 separate time periods:
TIME PERIOD ONE
This section chronicles the movements and activities of Kriegman and Gabriel between 8:54:00 AM and 10:03:05 AM on May 1, 2001.
8:54:00 AM
Witnesses spot Kriegman's gray 1991 Pontiac Grand Am. It is presumed that Calvin Gabriel and Andre Kriegman are both in the car at this time. They turn off a video camera they have brought with them. Their whereabouts are not known for certain for the next hour and thirteen minutes.
9:54:01 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel turn on their video camera, retrieve their weapons from the trunk. They spend approximately 5 minutes loading their weapons and proceed towards the west entrance of Iroquois High School.
10:02:10 AM - 10:02:17 AM
As Kriegman and Gabriel approach the west entrance, they encounter Melissa Baker, Jason Zuffoletti, and Tony DeFasio, who are sitting to the left of the entrance. Kriegman and Gabriel fire upon the students. All three are hit; Zuffoletti and Baker are killed instantly, and DeFasio is able to flee. Robert Straitharn comes through the main entrance and is wounded by Kriegman. He turns around and runs back into the school. James Regent, Michael Oster, Jennifer DiCaprio, Alison Stewart, and Kristin Powers are also outside, around the corner to the left of the main entrance, in a courtyard with walls on three sides. When the shooting starts, they make their way to the wall farthest from the main entrance and run. After firing at Straitharn, Kriegman and Gabriel turn their attention to the group coming out of the cul-de-sac. Kriegman wounds Oster and Dicaprio, and Powers is hit by Gabriel in the leg. Kriegman and Gabriel pause to reload, and Regent and Stewart take this opportunity to assist Powers. Kriegman and Gabriel lose interest in this group, and opt to enter the school.
10:02:20 AM - 10:02:35 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel enter the school and encounter Resource Officer Leon Stetz. Witnesses observe Stetz issue a warning and draw his weapon. Kriegman and Gabriel and Stetz exchange fire. Stetz fires three rounds and is hit three times by Gabriel. Stetz dies of his wounds before aid can arrive. Stetz's revolver is later found sabotaged, presumably by Kriegman or Gabriel; a safety pin is inserted in the breech. It is not clear when this was done.
10:02:20 AM - 10:02:35 AM
After the exchange with Stetz, Kriegman and Gabriel proceed towards the library, firing on the students in the hall who, by now, have already started to flee. Timothy Pastor, James Woodruff, Denise Kelso, and Lisa Chang are hit, but are able to flee the scene.
10:02:30 AM - 10:02:41 AM
Students in the west of the library observe Kriegman and Gabriel through the library's east entrance and start to rush towards the main entrance. Others in the main entrance of the library follow them. The students at the front of the crowd see Kriegman and Gabriel approaching and change direction followed by the rest of the students. Kriegman and Gabriel wait until they are in through the doors and open fire. Victoria Evers and Omar Walters are hit; Evers dies of her wounds before aid can arrive. Omar, who has called 911 shortly before Kriegman and Gabriel arrive, is able to move into the reference area with other fleeing students. The larger group of students escapes through the west entrance. Kriegman picks up the cellular phone that Walters used to call 911. The phone will remain with Kriegman and continue to transmit until the SWAT team arrives.
10:02:45 AM - 10:03:05 AM
A group of approximately thirty students moves east to the reference area while Kriegman and Gabriel are occupied in the main area. Walters cannot keep up with the rest of the group and sits down. At this point the group splits up again. One group moves upstairs to a study room, while the second group makes it way to an emergency exit. Worried that the alarm on the emergency exit might draw Kriegman and Gabriel, they force a window open and jump down 4 feet to escape.
TIME PERIOD TWO
This chronicles the movements and activities of Kriegman and Gabriel between 10:03:20 AM and 10:05:39 AM on May 1, 2001.
10:03:20 AM - 10:03:45 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel follow the fleeing students through the reference area and stop to taunt Walters. They then proceed upstairs to the study area and encounter Sarah Pilar, Brent Pearlman, Chelsea Castro, Megan Donner, Carmine DiBano, Chris Thomas, David Foster, Derek Sutter, Tina Vincent, and Greg Krupa. They are hiding under tables and behind couches.
10:04:00 AM
Kriegman fires upon Chelsea Castro and Megan Donner at point blank range, killing them instantly.
10:04:05 AM
Gabriel fires on Brent Pearlman, who attempts to flee, wounding him.
10:04:13 AM - 10:04:18 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel close on Pearlman and fire on him multiple times at point blank range, killing him instantly. Librarian Robert Blackthorne and Deborah Webber move from their hiding place behind the main desk. Blackthorne flees the scene.
10:04:21 AM
Derek Sutter attempts to flee the study area and is hit by fire from both Kriegman and Gabriel. He loses consciousness and is removed to Middlesex Hospital after the SWAT team clears the room.
10:04:28 AM - 10:05:05 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel move around the room. Kriegman drops his shotgun and draws his revolver. He sits near Sarah Pilar and Tina Vincent and talks to them. Gabriel walks on top of the tables.
10:05:39 AM
Carmine Dibiano talks to Gabriel in attempt to reason with him.
10:05:05 AM
In the main area, Webber flees the scene.
TIME PERIOD THREE
This page chronicles the movements and activities of Kriegman and Gabriel between 10:06:25 AM and 10:12:25 AM on May 1, 2001.
10:06:25 AM
Gabriel fires upon Sarah Pilar and Tina Vincent; Pilar dies of her wounds before aid can arrive; Vincent is removed to New Britain General Hospital after the SWAT team clears the room. Dibiano is shot by Kriegman and dies of his wounds before aid can arrive.
10:06:40 AM
Gabriel drops his rifle and draws his automatic pistol.
10:06:52 AM - 10:07:06 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel encounter Greg Krupa and taunt him. Gabriel then shoots Krupa with his pistol. Krupa is killed instantly.
10:07:27 AM
Kriegman shoots Chris Thomas with his revolver. Thomas is killed instantly.
10:07:31 AM
David Foster flees the scene while Kriegman and Gabriel's' weapons are empty. He escapes uninjured.
10:07:45 AM - 10:08:11 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel retrieve their long arms and move back towards the main area. They encounter Walters on the way, who is now unconscious. Walters dies of his wounds before aid can arrive. Officers Leah Halstrom and Frank Vincenzi arrive on the scene. Officer Halstrom drives around to the west while Officer Vincenzi stays at the east entrance.
10:08:11 AM - 10:12:25 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel move out of the library and head towards the cafeteria. As the two gunman walk down the hall, their attention is drawn to the kitchen serving area, which joins the hall to the cafeteria. A group of 10 students are hiding in the kitchen and the serving area, out of sight from the door. Both Kriegman and Gabriel throw one lit pipe bomb each into the serving area and continue on towards the Cafeteria. The pipe bombs detonate while the some of the students in the serving area are trying to move into the rear of the kitchen. Lynn Knoblock, Christian Kluge, and Stanley Forster all suffer burns; one of the bombs bursts completely, hitting Kluge and Forster with shrapnel. The other pipe bomb does not splinter, but the force of the exploding gunpowder sends both end-caps in opposite directions at high velocity. Lynn Knoblock is hit with an end cap, and receives a broken shoulder. Naomi Kleber is hiding in a thick metal storage cabinet 3 feet from the pipe bomb that bursts; she receives no serious injuries.
TIME PERIOD FOUR
This chronicles the movements and activities of Kriegman and Gabriel between 10:12:49 AM and 12:45:00 PM on May 1, 2001.
10:08:56-10:12:25
Kriegman and Gabriel move to the east cafeteria where they attempt to ignite a homemade bomb. After a first failure, they destroy a cash register with second pipe bomb. Kriegman fires on a vending machine. This attracts Officer Halstrom's attention; she stops her cruiser, disembarks and tries to find the source of the fire. Gabriel spots her cruiser and fires six rounds towards Officer Halstrom's position. Three of these rounds hit Officer Halstrom's cruiser. Officer Halstrom returns fire through the window broken by Gabriel's fire. Kriegman and Gabriel move back into the hall, towards the library. They each fire on library computers in the west wing of the library.
10:12:49 AM
Kriegman and Gabriel return to the study area, where they observe the arrival of state police, county police, SWAT, and paramedic units.
10:13:15 AM
Kriegman points his empty revolver at his head and dry-fires it repeatedly.
10:14:30 AM
Two SWAT teams form up to enter the school. One team enters through the west entrance, the other moves to the main entrance on the east. The east team led by Sergeant Leonard Krantz, is directed to the study area by Foster.
10:16:27 AM
After a short discussion, Kriegman and Gabriel kneel down, point their weapons at their head, and fire. Both die instantly.
10:18:57 AM
Sergeant Krantz's team reaches the study area and find Sutter and Vincent. Even though it is not clear that Kriegman and Gabriel are the only assailants, elements of the state and county police evacuate Sutter and Vincent under cover of Sergeant Krantz's SWAT team.
10:20 AM - 11:45 AM
Sergeant Krantz's team resumes it sweep, and in conjunction with Sergeant Brian Lomax's team, clears the school with the exception of the east cafeteria, where an unexploded pipe bomb is found.
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
The county bomb squad neutralizes the pipe bomb.
MOVEMENTS OF POLICE AND EMERGENCY UNITS
The Hartford County SWAT team was on alert within a minute after Omar Walter's 911 call mentioned a school shooting. Officers Leah Halstrom and Frank Vincenzi were in the area when the 911 call came in, and proceeded to the school immediately. After the exchange between Gabriel and Halstrom, the SWAT team embarked immediately, preparing en route. Connecticut State Police and the New Stratford police force arrived in conjunction with the Hartford County SWAT team, and paramedic units and Firefighters from Hartford and Tolland counties.
Officers Leah Halstrom and Frank Vincenzi arrived not knowing what exactly to expect. Halstrom later said that she considered the possibility of it being a prank or mistake, but was truly prepared for the worst in light of the events of the past two years. Vincenzi and Halstrom encountered fleeing students on their way in. Vincenzi talked to a small group of students who indicated that there were two or three perpetrators and they were in the general area of the library. Most of the students near the area where the shooting took place managed to successfully evacuate the school. Many teachers took the initiative to direct students away from the sound of firing and out of the building. This definitely saved many lives; Kriegman and Gabriel left the study area (where the most people were killed) presumably to search for more victims. Kriegman and Gabriel were very methodical; of the three survivors, Tina Vincent, Derek Sutter and David Foster, Vincent was the only one who did not try to escape.
As state and local police arrived, they started to assist fleeing students and faculty. The larger part of the students and faculty left out of the main entrance. This allowed Lt. Del Grissom to assemble the team that would eventually enter the library slightly earlier then the main entrance team. The quick entry into the building was critical in the preservation of the victim's lives.
Law enforcement had a number of things working in their favor. First, students and teachers were more likely to attempt to exit the building and leave the area as quickly as possible. This meant there were very few people that the SWAT teams had to deal with before reaching the study area. Second, the study area, which contained the wounded, was not far into the building; there were also no classrooms in between the entrance and the library. Classrooms would have to be cleared and secured, one by one. Thirdly, the perpetrators themselves, although very methodical and merciless, were only active for slightly more than 15 minutes from their first shots to their suicides. More than half of that time was spent stalking empty areas of the school. It must be noted that they shot or attempted to shoot everyone they encountered at close range. If they had decided not to commit suicide and look for more students, and if more students had decided to try and hide in the school, this tragedy might have become all the more terrible.
IN MEMORIAM
Melissa Baker
Chelsea Castro
Carmine Dibiano
Megan Donner
Victoria Evers
Greg Krupa
Brent Pearlman
Sarah Pilar
Leon Stetz
Chris Thomas
Omar Walters
Jason Zuffoletti
GLIMPSES OF KRIEGMAN AND GABRIEL
Andre Kriegman was born on July 17th, 1982, in Köln, Germany. His parents immigrated to the United States in 1983. His family lived in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, until 1993, when they moved to New Stratford. Kriegman was on the track team, and he contributed to the school paper on an infrequent basis. He was also an active member of the science club. He had been accepted at the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. He is survived by his parents and his older brother.
Calvin Gabriel was born on February 5, 1983, in New Stratford, Connecticut. He lived his entire life in New Stratford. Gabriel was prescribed Ritalin as a third grader to correct a diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder. He stopped taking Ritalin in his freshman year of high school. He played the sitar and the guitar in the school's six-piece band. He is survived by his parents and his younger brother and sister.
Kriegman and Gabriel met in sixth grade, and were close friends ever since. Kriegman and Gabriel's parents were on friendly terms, and approved of the friendship, which they considered healthy and mutually beneficial. Neither Kriegman's nor Gabriel's record reflect any significant interaction with the judicial system.
The only exception to this is a marijuana possession charge Gabriel incurred in the January of 1999. Being a minor at the time, Gabriel pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 6 months pre-trial probation. Gabriel did not in any way attract the attention of law enforcement during that period, and the charges were subsequently dropped per the stipulations of his plea.
As a result of his ADD, Gabriel was also the only one to receive any clinical psychiatric evaluation. There is no mention by any of his doctors of the slightest violent or sociopathic tendencies. Both Kriegman and Gabriel gave the impression of being reasonably well-adjusted, normal teenagers. They seemed to be actively preparing for life after high school.
Kriegman in particular was very active in school sports and clubs, and made an effort to maintain a high level of academic performance. His teachers did not observe any decline in his grades or the quality of his schoolwork in the weeks leading up to the event. After the incident, many students professed a feeling of unease around Kriegman. Many others admitted they were on friendly terms with him and Gabriel.
Neither Kriegman nor Gabriel was singled out for teasing. They both seemed to have a fairly large group of friends and acquaintances. Most people who knew them pointed out that they had very few close friends, and none with the level of rapport that they had with each other.
THE WEAPONS USED BY KRIEGMAN & GABRIEL ON MAY 1, 2001
Andre Kriegman carried a Smith and Wesson Model 3000 12 gauge pump action shotgun, a Glock 21C automatic pistol and a Ruger GP-100 .357 revolver. He wore an "urban camouflage" (black, grey, and white) T-shirt, black cargo pants, and black sneakers. He had a spare magazine for the Glock 21C. He also carried a Cold Steel brand fixed blade combat knife.
Calvin Gabriel carried a U.S. M1 .30 carbine and a copy of the Colt M1911 A1 made by Norinco. He wore a black T-shirt with the word "army" printed on it, black cargo pants, and combat boots. He carried three spare magazines for his carbine. Gabriel carried a backpack that contained spare ammunition for all their weapons, 7 pipe bombs, a roll of duct tape, and 4 butane lighters.
Gabriel's M1 .30 carbine was essentially an assault rifle; it was used by the United States Armed Forces from World War II through the early sixties. It is capable of accepting 40 round magazines (Gabriel had only 15 round magazines) and fires each time the trigger is pulled. His pistol was a copy of the well known Colt .45 semiautomatic used by the U.S. Army since 1911. Kreigman's shotgun was typical of 12 gauge shotguns designed for hunting. Kriegman sawed off the stock behind the pistol grip, reducing it's length to about 34". His revolver was a standard .357 revolver, and the Glock automatic pistol he carried is the same model used as a police sidearm.
Kriegman and Gabriel carried a large amount of spare ammunition. There was 189 rounds of .30 carbine, 100 of which was loaded in stripper clips (a military device to speed up loading), 109 rounds of .45 ACP for the Glock and the Norinco, 76 rounds of .357 magnum (6 loaded in a speed loader) and 67 12 gauge shotgun shells, mostly buckshot.
The two gunmen were not experts with their weapons. They mostly used their longarms; they used the handguns in situations where their targets were confined with them at close range or immobile. Contrary to what some pundits have claimed, video games, no matter how realistic, are not a substitute for actual training. Both assailants were familiar with firearms in general, and they had fired .22 rifles. But the tapes and other accounts seem to bear out that they only had one chance to fire the weapons they actually used in the attack. They never fired any of the pistols. Shortly after the firefight with (Special Resources Officer) Leon Stetz, Kriegman switched to his revolver, firing it with one hand and carrying the shotgun in the other. He did not hit anybody with any of his 6 shots. Nobody in the hall way was hit badly enough by either Kriegman or Gabriel to stop them from running. Their lack of experience somewhat mitigated a terrible tragedy.
FIREARMS
1: U.S. M1 .30 Carbine
2: Smith & Wesson Model 2000 12 Gauge Shotgun
3: Norinco .45 Automatic Pistol
4: Glock 21 .45 Automatic Pistol
5: Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum Revolver
OTHER ITEMS FOUND ON KRIEGMAN
1: Fixed blade combat knife
2: Butane Cigarette lighter
OTHER ITEMS FOUND ON GABRIEL
3: Folding "butterfly" knife
THE INVESTIGATION: OVERVIEW
Follow up investigations centered on Chris Kriegman and Andre Kriegman's parents.
The most striking and unusual feature of this incident was the documentary footage that the perpetrators furnished. At the outset, detectives and officers watched all the footage in its entirety. When officers retrieved the video camera in Kriegman's vehicle, they found a video suicide letter on the tape inside. Also on the tape was footage of Kriegman and Gabriel breaking into Chris Kriegman's apartment and stealing firearms owned by him. The tape ended with footage of Kriegman and Gabriel in the car immediately before the assault.
Before they left the car, they turned the camera on and left it running (using this footage, and comparing the intervals between gunshots on the soundtrack, investigators were able to construct a fairly precise timeline of events).
In the suicide statement, there was a reference to more video footage in a safety deposit box. Detectives who went to the bank found approximately 34 hours of video footage.
Detectives examined the footage to determine whether or not anyone else was involved in the planning or execution of the attack. Investigators assumed that Kriegman and Gabriel were obfuscating pertinent facts in the tapes.
CHARGES AGAINST CHRIS KRIEGMAN
Chris Kriegman, although exonerated by Kriegman and Gabriel, was the focus of an investigation into whether or not he had any knowledge of Kriegman and Gabriel's plans, and if he indeed had given his consent to their use of his firearms.
Chris Kriegman was cooperative with police up until he was charged with three counts of unlawfully providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a handgun.
At this point, he retained legal counsel and communicated with law enforcement through his lawyer. Chris Kriegman was eventually acquitted of the charges. The tapes played a large part in the case.
The prosecution repeatedly argued that the tapes and Kriegman and Gabriel's statements on them should not be considered as evidence, due to the possibility that they could have been intentionally faked.
The jury sided with the defense in the end, which cited Chris Kriegman's cooperation with law enforcement, and used the tapes to support their case. Chris Kriegman, desiring to avoid the notoriety as a possible accomplice, eventually left New Stratford.
CHARGES AGAINST GERHARD AND JOHANNE KRIEGMAN
Andre Kriegman's parents were the focus of a criminal investigation based on the fact that Gerhard Kriegman's firearms were used in the attack and that the alteration of the shotgun and the construction of pipe bombs had occurred in the Kriegman house.
Johanne and Gerhard Kriegman were charged with 9 counts of criminal negligence; one for each pipe bomb constructed, and one each for the revolver and shotgun Andre Kriegman obtained from his father. The parents were able to plead to a lesser charge; they did not serve jail time.
THE 'ZERO DAY' TAPES
The tapes themselves were a source of constant controversy. Before Chris Kriegman's trial, Cable News Network L.P. (CNN) tried to secure the tapes for broadcast. They cited that the owner's (Kriegman and Gabriel) had made what amounted to a will, and that the wishes expressed in the video document allowed CNN to use the footage as they saw fit.
Kriegman and Gabriel's' parents requested, and were granted, an injunction against such use. CNN backed down instead of fighting a legal battle with the bereaved parents.
Both families intended that the collection of tapes never be seen. Kriegman's family had to compromise to assist with Chris Kriegman's defense, as it considered the footage vital to the successful prosecution of the case.
This might have resulted in the collection becoming freely available as a public document, but Kriegman and Gabriel's' parents were able to prevent this in the courts.
In the end, Kriegman and Gabriel's' parents released selected sequences and transcripts to the press. They also provided full access to a friend of the family who was an amateur filmmaker. The parents hoped the project would show the situation in a different light.
This self-conscious documenting of their preparations was a truly unique feature of this incident.
A/N: To make certain there is no confusion, below is a timeline on what grade Calvin Gabriel and Andre Kriegman were in, year by year, from 6th grade onward.
2000-2001- 12
1998-1999- 11
1997-1998- 10
1996-1997- 9
1995-1996- 8
1994-1995- 7
1993-1994- 6
If you want to see the former website for yourself, PM me or calgabriel. I was going to put it up in this fanfic, but I don't know if the website administration would have a problem with posting a link. And regardless, modifications have been made by said administration so that you cannot copy any material in a posted story, whatsoever, a change from up to 2012 at least when you could copy whole stories if you wanted to. So nobody could copy the URL even if I posted it. So, there's two users on this site who know it and are active as of December 2017. So if you want to visit the preserved Zero Day website, just contact either of us and we'll get the URL to you in a PM.