Channel 7 News
June 19, 2013
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/columbine-survivor-matthew-depew-electrocuted-working-on-power-lines-for-xcel-energy
Columbine survivor Matthew Depew electrocuted working on power lines for Xcel Energy
CARLSBAD, New Mexico - A man who survived the Columbine High School massacre as a teenager was electrocuted over the weekend.
Matthew Depew, 30, now of Carlsbad, New Mexico, was working on some power lines Saturday when he was shocked. He did not survive.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the friends, family and co-workers affected by this tragic accident," Xcel Energy said in a statement sent to 7NEWS.
"Matt was an incredible man. He loved children more than the world," wrote Martin C. on a Texas newspaper website. "He had endured the Columbine massacre and made a huge impact on society and helped many. He was a family man and great friend. He will be greatly missed."
"Not only did he have a huge heart for the people he loved, he also had an infectious laugh that was one of a kind. His smile after landing flips on his knee-boarding were always enjoyed and toasted too," George S. posted online.
Depew saw Daniel Rohrbough get shot and killed outside Columbine High School during the massacre, according to one of the investigations into the shooting. The report said Depew called his father, a Denver Police officer. That call helped alert authorities about the shooting.
During his time with Xcel, Depew was one of the workers who volunteered to go back east and help restore power after Hurricane Sandy hit.
The Eddy County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico and Xcel Energy are investigating Depew's death.
CARLSBAD, New Mexico - A man who survived the Columbine High School massacre as a teenager was electrocuted over the weekend.
Matthew Depew, 30, now of Carlsbad, New Mexico, was working on some power lines Saturday when he was shocked. He did not survive.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the friends, family and co-workers affected by this tragic accident," Xcel Energy said in a statement sent to 7NEWS.
"Matt was an incredible man. He loved children more than the world," wrote Martin C. on a Texas newspaper website. "He had endured the Columbine massacre and made a huge impact on society and helped many. He was a family man and great friend. He will be greatly missed."
"Not only did he have a huge heart for the people he loved, he also had an infectious laugh that was one of a kind. His smile after landing flips on his knee-boarding were always enjoyed and toasted too," George S. posted online.
Depew saw Daniel Rohrbough get shot and killed outside Columbine High School during the massacre, according to one of the investigations into the shooting. The report said Depew called his father, a Denver Police officer. That call helped alert authorities about the shooting.
During his time with Xcel, Depew was one of the workers who volunteered to go back east and help restore power after Hurricane Sandy hit.
The Eddy County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico and Xcel Energy are investigating Depew's death.
The Denver Post
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Matthew Depew, Columbine survivor, dies working on power lines in New Mexico
Matthew Depew, a survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings who was working for Xcel Energy in Carlsbad, N.M., died Saturday while working on power lines, according to local authorities.
Depew, 30, was reportedly working to restore a power outage on State Road 360 when he was electrocuted at about 6:40 a.m., and all attempts to save his life were unsuccessful, according to a press release from the Eddy County Sheriff's Office.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the friends, family and co-workers affected by this tragic accident," Xcel spokesman Wes Reeves said.
The cause of Depew's death is still under investigation by the Eddy County Sheriff's Special Investigations Unit. Xcel is also conducting its own investigation.
Depew was one of 16 students and two school staffers at Columbine who barricaded themselves in the kitchen just off the cafeteria while the two killers went on the spree that left 12 students and a teacher dead and dozens wounded before the gunmen committed suicide. He attempted to call 911 during the attack but found the lines jammed.
Depew then called the Denver Police Department, where his father worked, and ended up talking with an officer who got through to a 911 operator. That officer stayed on the phone for nearly three hours, relaying information about the gunmen, until the people in the kitchen eventually were found by SWAT team members.
Principal Frank DeAngelis said Depew was winding up his sophomore year when the attack happened. Although he didn't know Depew well, he remembered him as a wrestler and football player at Columbine.
DeAngelis said he heard of Depew's death shortly after he had made a presentation at a school safety conference that also included parents from the Sandy Hook, Conn., shootings.
"All week long we've been reliving a lot of these things," he said. "Then to find out about Matt - it's really tough."
