#DylanWasFramed: Who is Dylan Klebold and why is he trending? Internet slams 'awful' hashtag for mass murderer
The internet is a funny place. A bizarre trend started on Twitter which read #DylanWasFramed and left people confused. Apparently, it referred to Dylan Bennet Klebold, a mass shooter who teamed up with Eric David Harris and the duo were involved in an incident on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado where they reportedly killed 13 people and wounded 24 others.
Seeing his name along with his pictures and the trend on top of the microblogging site left many confused. "Everyone’s talking about the situation but I’m still trying to figure out who tf Dylan is #dylanwasframed," one tweet read and another said, "Who the f**k is Dylan and why was he framed....I'm so confused."
Many poked fun at the trend and spoke about Bob Dylan instead. One Twitter user tweeted a picture saying, "#dylanwasframed I have no idea why this hashtag is trending so here's a picture of Bob Dylan framed." A few agreed. "This is the best use of this hashtag I've seen so far. Admittedly, I have no idea what it means so..." Another explained, "Apparently it's because people are fawning over one of the Columbine shooters again."
But who really was Dylan and why are people suggesting he was framed? Spelling it out for others, one Twitter user posted a thread to explain who he really was. "School shootings, death, men, suicide so I realized some people don’t know what the hashtag #dylanwasframed is referring to so here’s a nice little thread on Dylan Klebold, Columbine, and the hashtag." It further read, "On April 20th, 1999, Dylan and his “friend” Eric Harris walked into Columbine High School and killed 13 people, wounding 24 others. After, they committed suicide by shootings themselves. The motive was ruled out as inconclusive but this was planned out beforehand by both boys."
One of the most infamous shootings in history, the tweet also sheds light on how Klebold's mom found tapes in the basement of her home along with journal entries by her son. These tapes she found contained both Harris and Klebold. A journal found in Harris's bedroom contained almost every detail that the boys planned to follow.
After the incident, both committed suicide in the library, where they had killed 10 others. The tweet thread said, "By 12:08 pm, both gunmen had killed themselves. Harris sat down with his back to a bookshelf and fired his gun through the roof of his mouth. Klebold went down on his knees and shot himself in the left temple."
Why are people suggesting he was framed? "The hashtag was started to spread the idea that Klebold was framed and did not participate in the shootings. There are journal entries, tapes, and conversations that say otherwise. Their main point is that he was shot by Harris and framed as a shooter," the tweet said, adding, "My opinion (not that anyone cares) I think this is so so disrespectful to the victims and their families. They died because of these two who BOTH bare responsibility for this HORRENDOUS event. the fact that this is trending and I have to write abt this is disgusting."
No sooner did people find out it was a mass shooter, they began bashing him endlessly. Calling it an "awful" hashtag, one said, "#dylanwasframed is an awful, incorrect hashtag but for a better understanding of the event, read "A Mother's Reckoning" by Sue Klebold, Dylan's mother. Truly one of the most heartbreaking books I've ever read."
"#dylanwasframed?! DYLAN. WAS. FRAMED?!?! Half of the duo who planned and executed what is known as the Columbine Massacre was FRAMED?!?! A man, who decided HIM and his homeboy were natural selection, was framed," one tweet read and another posted, "Oh... y'all talkin bout this Dylan? The Dylan who thought mass murdering a whole group of students would bring him fame and vengeance? The Dylan who aimed for a goal of 250 victims? the Dylan who compared the shootings to a f**king VIDEO GAME? framed? no, ma'am."
"I thought this #dylanwasframed hashtag was about a TV show or something but I click in and people are literally trying to defend one of the Columbine shooters it's simultaneously too late in the day and too early in the night for this garbage," one tweet read. Moreover, many shared video footage where he was caught in the act. "Um are you guys forgetting that he’s literally a murderer?" one said and another posted, "Dylan literally shot and killed multiple people and also called Isaiah Schools the n-word before he was killed, what the f**k is this bulls**t hashtag #dylanwasframed."