No More Sense Of Sanctuary

This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.

But Denver's non-stop expansion has reached far into the foothills, even out to Bailey. The high school has more than 700 students now — a population boom of sorts fueled by folks who wanted to get away from the busy city streets.

I spoke this morning with the father of a student there who told me one of the reasons they moved up into the mountains was to get away from some of the troubles that often accompany life in our cities and suburbs.

A man walked into the high school in Bailey on Wednesday, fired his weapon and took some students hostage. Not long after, a sweet-natured junior girl would lie dead and the assailant himself would be dead of a self-inflicted wound.

The community is stunned. People are praying for the dead girl's family. That sense of sanctuary, of being safe, disappeared with the first shot.