GOLDEN, Colo. – Jefferson County District Attorney Dave Thomas requested a coroner's inquest Monday in the death of Columbine student, Daniel Rohrbough.
Coroner Carl Blesch said he has taken the request under advisement.
Rohrbough's parents claim he was shot by a Denver SWAT team member who rushed to the high school when teen gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold launched their April 20, 1999 assault.
The sheriff's department's Columbine report says Rohrbough was shot by Dylan Klebold.
Sue Petrone, Daniel Rohrbough's mother, reacted to the inquest announcement by saying: "Anything we can do to get to the truth I think is good."
Thomas, who earlier declined to call a grand jury, said the coroner would have subpoena power, though not as extensive as a grand jury.
The coroner's inquest was established during frontier days when coroner's relied on sworn testimony to determine the cause of a death.
Relatives of Columbine victims also have asked for a federal grand jury to investigate the slayings of 12 students and one teacher.
Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Denver, said the decision to request an inquest would have no impact on whether a grand jury would be convened.
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