(3/7/01, 5 p.m. ET) - Linkin Park has been linked to the controversy surrounding Santee, California, teenager Charles "Andy" Williams, who opened fire on his schoolmates, killing two on Monday (March 5). One of Williams's friends talked about how the troubled teen was influenced by the band's lyrics on the Today show. The songs in question include "One Step Closer," "Papercut," and "In The End."

Linkin Park was unavailable for comment, as calls by LAUNCH to the band's spokesperson were not returned at press time.

None of the songs in question or any others on Linkin Park's album, Hybrid Theory, say anything specifically about bringing a gun to school and killing students, but "One Step Closer" does include the lyrics, "'Cause I'm one step closer to the edge/And I'm about to break."

-- Darren Davis, New York