Columbine

by

Dave Cullen

Chris Morris Character Analysis

One of Eric and Dylan’s friends and a coworker at Blackjack who, out of fear and guilt, reported himself to 911 directly after learning about the attacks. Chris knew that the boys were messing around with pipe bombs, and that Eric had asked to store napalm at his house, but had no idea that they were planning an attack. Chris eventually helps investigators to implicate Phil Duran in the sale of the firearms used in the attack through agreeing to a wiretap. Chris was a member of the Trench Coat Mafia, the Columbine clique which was erroneously believed to be behind the attacks.
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Chris Morris Character Timeline in Columbine

The timeline below shows where the character Chris Morris appears in Columbine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4: Rock ’n’ Bowl
Violence and Spectacle Theme Icon
Failure Theme Icon
Eric and Dylan’s friends Chris Morris, Nate Dykeman, and Zack Heckler have all worked at Blackjack before—it pays decently and... (full context)
Chapter 15: First Assumption
Violence and Spectacle Theme Icon
Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon
Media: Misinformation and Sensationalism Theme Icon
...to just have been orchestrated by the two gunmen. One of Eric and Dylan’s friends, Chris Morris, was home playing video games at the time of the attack. He called himself... (full context)
Chapter 17: The Sheriff
Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon
Meanwhile, Chris Morris confesses everything he knows to the police, describing Eric’s fascination with Nazis and dreams... (full context)
Chapter 20: Vacant
Violence and Spectacle Theme Icon
Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon
Failure Theme Icon
...sends more than a dozen special agents. Eleven “likely conspirators” are identified, including Brooks Brown, Chris Morris, and Robyn Anderson. The band room is converted into a command center—the rest of... (full context)
Chapter 27: Black
Violence and Spectacle Theme Icon
Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon
Failure Theme Icon
Media: Misinformation and Sensationalism Theme Icon
...and Dylan were not among the students who made up the TCM, though their friend Chris Morris was. The TCM “heyday” died down, and Eric and Dylan purchased trench coats years... (full context)
Chapter 30: Telling Us Why
Violence and Spectacle Theme Icon
Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon
Chris Morris, desperate to clear his name—investigators believe he is one of the shooters’ conspirators—agrees to... (full context)
Chapter 50: The Basement Tapes
Violence and Spectacle Theme Icon
Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon
Failure Theme Icon
Eric, struck with a new idea, attempt to recruit Chris Morris to expand the range of the attack. Eric “joke[s]” with Morris about stringing up... (full context)
Violence and Spectacle Theme Icon
Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon
Failure Theme Icon
Eric attempts to recruit Chris several more times, joking about killing jocks and blowing up the school. Dylan, too, is... (full context)