[5][6][7] Columbine High School was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern United States history.

The massacre made headlines both nationally and internationally, making Columbine a household name, and causing a moral panic in U.S. high schools.

[10][11] After the shooting, classes at Columbine were held at nearby Chatfield Senior High for the remaining three weeks of that school year.

[13][14] By 2019, the school remained a "macabre tourist attraction" for those fascinated by the massacre, with hundreds stopped annually caught trespassing on the grounds or trying to enter the buildings.

After the manhunt became public, it quickly made national headlines, and hundreds of people called the FBI claiming they had seen Pais panhandling, buying a gun or actually outside of Columbine High School.

According to this Uber driver, Pais "had no food or water and only minimal clothing," and had a "green rifle case" with a "bird hunting gun".