21st Century Teetotaler

Sunday, May 5, 2024

In Memoriam: Kyle Albert Velasquez

Born May 5, 1982

16 years old

Neighbors and relatives say Kyle Velasquez enjoyed chores and family activities. They say he was a "gentle giant". A sophomore, he was six feet tall and 230 pounds when he died but those who knew him knew that he was a little boy at heart. Affectionate and sincere, he loved nothing more than helping his dad, Albert, out around the house: Putting up shelves, mowing the lawn, washing the car. Every day he would kiss his mom, Phyllis, on the cheek and tell her that he loved her. He dreamed of joining the Navy like his dad, or becoming a firefighter.

When Kyle was just a baby he suffered a stroke that left him mentally disabled and he also had severe asthma. As a "special needs" child, Kyle was often ignored, avoided, and teased while growing up -- he knew what it was like to be an outcast. Due to his disabilities, Kyle's parents had prepared to spend the rest of their lives with him. He would accompany his mother everywhere while she ran her errands. Kyle's last words to her were: "Goodbye. I love you, mom."

A shy teen, Kyle had only been attending Columbine for three months and was just beginning to come out of his shell when the massacre occurred. It was only a few weeks that he was staying at the school through lunch; a few weeks earlier and he would've been on his way home the day the shooting started. Kyle loved computers. He had been sitting at one of the computer tables in Columbine's library when the killers came in, perhaps too confused of frightened by the chaos and noise to hide himself. Dylan Klebold shot him in the back and the head. Kyle was the first victim to die in the library.

Kyle was buried with military honors in Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, since his father was a Navy veteran. His parents were given the flags from his coffin and the one that was flown at half-mast in Kyle's honor at the state Capitol.