Columbine school shooting survivor found dead at 37

Austin Eubanks, a survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, has reportedly died at age 37.

Eubanks, who was 17 years old when the shooting took place, was reportedly found on Saturday in his Steamboat Springs, Colo., home, according to The Denver Post.

{mosads}There were no signs of foul play, and an autopsy was planned for Monday to determine his cause of death, the Post reports.

Eubanks was shot in the hand and the knee when two gunmen stormed the school, killing 12 students — including Eubanks’s best friend, Corey DePooter — and a teacher. At the time, it was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

Eubanks struggled with opioid addiction after he was prescribed pain medication to treat his injuries from the shooting. He later worked at an addiction treatment center and became a public speaker, sharing his story of substance abuse and recovery.

“We thank the recovery community for its support,” Eubanks’s family said in a statement, CBS Denver reports. “As you can imagine, we are beyond shocked and saddened and request that our privacy is respected at this time.”

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who survived a gunshot to the head during a constituent event in 2011, called Eubanks’s death “devastating.”

“I’m heartbroken for Austin’s loved ones and the entire community that has been through so much,” Giffords, who went on to co-found the anti-gun violence group Americans for Responsible Solutions, now known as Giffords, wrote on Twitter on Monday. “We owe it to him to carry on his work: stopping gun violence and healing addiction.”

Tags Austin Eubanks Columbine Gabrielle Giffords School shooting

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