Her mother tells DailyMail.com that she has been able to celebrate her daughter's life and says of Sue Klebold and the other parents of the shooters: 'They lost a son that day too. Beth shakes her head and blinks back tears at the memory. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Victim of the Columbine High School Massacre, She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall, 2010 CENSUS CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Columbine CDP, CO, "10 years later, the real story behind Columbine", "Columbine victim's parents share her story", "After Columbine, martyrdom became a powerful fantasy for Christian teenagers", "Rick Santorum Supports Kim Davis by Repeating Long-Debunked Myth About Columbine", "Far Beyond Columbine, Rancor and Tension", "Songs of Experience: Christian singer looks at life's troubles and offers inspired work", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cassie_Bernall&oldid=1147300869, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 March 2023, at 01:35. Lauren's older brother, Zach, then a 17-year-old senior, hid for three hours in an empty classroom with his classmates. ', Weeks before her death Rachel wrote a poem that included the lines about her death: 'It is not suicide I consider it homicide.'. [9], Bernall's presentation as a Christian martyr has led to her serving as the inspiration for several songs, including Flyleaf's song, "Cassie"[18] and Michael W. Smith's song, "This Is Your Time". It provided the family with their own version of faith that if Scotts vision is shared, her death wasnt entirely in vain. Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Littleton, Colorado, April 20, 2007. Bungling Spanish hospital is forced to tell father he is not child's biological dad due to sperm mix-up during IVF treatment - after parents grew suspicious over son's appearance, Calling someone a 'dark horse' is not racist, employment judge rules after black worker tried to sue Citizens Advice Bureau because her manager used the phrase, 'Are women expected to queue for one cubicle alongside men using urinals? 'So I can sit here and I can feel anger but I'm going to let that anger go and say again, "Eric and Dylan I forgive you. She said: 'Violence changes everything and nothing's ever been the same. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, marched to the school in Colorado around lunch time on April 20, 1999, armed with guns, homemade bombs and knives. Friends gather around Rachel Scotts car, placing flowers on it in her memory. Glenn Asakawa/The Denver Post/Getty Images. You're not going to control me because I'm not going to let what you did to me define me for the rest of my days. When I escaped the library, I actually ran right past her body and didnt realize it.. ThoughtCo, Apr. And it's consumed way too many of us.". The Columbine High School massacre also soon became a lightning rod for parents and lawmakers confounded by this unimaginable tragedy that left so many dead. For more stories like this, check our news page. MailOnline caught up with the lucky ticket-holders left with Could you live forever? This is how tall tales of martyrdom in the face of tragedy occur. Harris commented nice glasses before he shot Daniel in the face. There's no bubble that we can go and isolate ourselves in. I thought it was a prank that some seniors brought fireworks to school. ", "That summer after Columbine happened, I played softball nonstop," Lauren said. A shy, sweet sophomore, Matthew was a football player and a straight-A student. A student held up a sign in the window saying: 1 BLEEDING TO DEATH, but the warnings were ignored. Larry W. Smith / Getty Images. The truth is there is no safe place. So what really happened on the day that Rachel Scott was killed? Richard Castaldo, 17. 'Craig called me prior to my leaving. His friend Isaiah Sholes died on one side of him the last words that he heard on earth were racial taunts and slurs. "It's always good to have a brother that can relate. "I was a ghost," he said. [7], Valeen Schnurr had been shot and was on the floor of the library when one of the shooters, Dylan Klebold approached her. Shot in the chest, arm, abdomen, back, and left leg near the cafeterias entrance. Im Not Ashamed starred Masey McLain as Scott. [16], In October 1999, Bernall's mother, Misty Bernall, authored the book She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall. More by The Black Wall Street Times, Remembering Isaiah Shoels, the black Columbine victim, EDS: NOTE CONTENT - Friends and family pass by Columbine High School student Isaiah Shoels' open casket before his funeral in Denver, Thursday, April 29, 1999. Forgiveness is a process of healing. Critically injured by shots to the leg, neck, and jaw near the west staircase. 10:02 - Source: CNN. If information seems sparse in some areas, it is likely because that individual's family hasn't volunteered more, and not due to the author's lack of interest in the victim. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Prophetic: The family found this apparent foreshadowing of the appalling events onf 20 April 1999 in Rachel's journals when they were given back her backpack, Faith: Rachel's Christian faith and the testimony of a friend that she died for it have helped her mother in the wake of her bereavement, She said: 'I know Rachel was in my bathroom using my make up to get ready. She was an aspiring actress and playwright. According to witness Emily Wyant, who was hiding under the same table as Bernall, Harris slammed his hand twice down on the table above them and said "peek-a-boo" before fatally shooting Bernall in the head. Then, read about Brenda Ann Spencer, the woman who shot up a school because she didnt like Mondays. bled to death after waiting for 911 for three hours after he saved untold lives. That was literally the last minute of her life.. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Kyle, described as a big teddy bear was the first of 10 students who died during a hostage situation in the schools library. Because if you don't let that anger go, it's going to consume you. Rachel's father, Darrell, went to a second gathering place at nearby Leawood Elementary School. Her diaries have inspired many victims of bullying and charity Rachels Challenge is estimated to have reached out to two million students. While she certainly was vocal about her religion before her death, she didnt tell either of the shooters that she believed in God, before, during, or after they shot her. Outcasts: Harris (top left) and Klebold (beside him) had been apparently isolated from the rest of the school. It was several months before the FBI returned Rachel's backpack. She said; 'What I felt prompted to ask was, "Sue will you tell me who your little boy was before April 20, 1999? The 17-year-old was shot as she sat on a patch of grass eating lunch with a friend. The first victim of the massacre was a girl named Rachel Scott. We can all share a piece of that: blame for the school, the home, the community, the kids, 'Everybody can take responsibility to a certain degree. Lance Kirklin, 16, was hit in the jaw (Picture: Reuters). A TODAY segment on Craig Scott, nearly 20 years after the tragic events at Columbine. "The Victims of the Columbine Massacre." I used to fantasize what it would be like to get revenge soon the shooters, he said. The Columbine High School massacre also soon became a lightning rod for parents and lawmakers confounded by this unimaginable tragedy that left so many dead. The first victim of the massacre was a girl named Rachel Scott. Kyle suffered a stroke as a baby and his parents were prepared to spend the rest of their lives with him due to his disabilities. That was an important step for me and it really has brought me peace. 20 years on, Columbine survivors tell Parkland students: 'We're sorry we couldn't stop it.' put up with his father, the lawn he mowed, the car he washed. On April 20, 1999, two high school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, launched an all-out assault on Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado during the middle of the school day. Easter Sunday Terrorist Attack; 140 dead and 560 injured, Shame on Tulsa Public Schools for ignoring Tulsas Black community and teachers again, Isaiah told his father that one of the white female students called his friend the n-word, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Scene of horror: Dylan Klebold (right) and Eric Harris (left) was captured on CCTV as they went about the mass murder, Preparation: The pre-mediated nature of what Klebold and Harris did became clear in video they made before the massacre. When I told one of my friends, he said, Thats awesome. The Victims of the Columbine Massacre. When the Scott family began wading through their daughters personal items following her death, they found an essay she wrote about her ethics how compassion, optimism, and empathy were the main traits shed tried to nurture in herself, and spread to others. Audio produced for Morning Edition by Mia Warren. Jennifer Rosenberg. One woman carries his memory for another reason he was her dad. to shake the living, the hollowed-out living, the living not living. Among the dead was 17-year-old Rachel Scott. Silence on the sidewalk where Daniel Lee Rohrbough lay. The Queen's last salute: Her Majesty orchestrated a 'military-style exercise' to make it to Jubilee balcony Unhealthiest breakfasts on the high street revealed and the worst offender at YOUR favourite chain might Are YOU being spied on? Impact: The check book showed how a bullet had torn through it. The silence of Daniel Conner Mauser, sophomore. Sign-Up for a free subscription to The Black Wall Street Times' daily newsletter, Black Editors' Edition (BEE) - our curated news selections & opinions by us for you. He was studying in the library with friends Matt Kechter and Craig Scott when the shooters entered. She had made her final entry on the morning of the shooting a drawing of 13 tears falling from her eyes onto a rose that grows out of the Columbine flower. I didn't know what I was going to say to her. Be a real friend. She talked about a culture and a world that cultivated a culture of death that killed her. 'This was the mother of one of the boys who shot my daughter. Klebold reloaded but did not shoot her again, and Schnurr ultimately survived the massacre. On the morning of April 20, 1999, 16-year-old sophomore Lauren Cartaya escaped quickly from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., after two students began opening fire. "When you pile 60 17-year-olds together in a small space, you're going to go through what everybody would expect: fear and tears and prayers," said Zach, now 37. I have compassion. I have friends from Columbine who ask, How can you still talk about this? If they go on one trip with me, theyd understand.. Matt Kechter was shot in the chest and died alongside his pal Isaiah in the library. [9][17] However, the book ultimately leaves it up to the audience to make up their own mind about what happened. Violence: When the family were able to get her possessions back, they found a check book which had been ripped through by a bullet. Weve stopped a dozen school shootings and 500 kids said we helped prevent their suicides, said Craig Scott. Lauren recalled a similar amnesia. They were perhaps planning to watch their car bombs, which were set for noon, but they failed to go off. 'They handed us these missing person reports and we had to fill out information about our child. The book reached No. She is often asked, she said, whether as a Christian she has forgiven the boys who murdered her daughter in cold blood, traumatized her son, Craig, and devastated her family. Despite discrimination, the exceptional young man continued making people around him smile. It is close to two decades since 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold gunned down 12 students and teacher, Dave Sanders, before turning their guns on themselves. Harris sat down with his back to the bookshelves and shot himself through the roof of his mouth. in Rachel Joy Scotts car turned into a memorial in the schools parking lot. | CNN. Its a mission. At StoryCorps in Littleton, Colo., last month, siblings Lauren Cartaya and Zach Cartaya said they continue to cope with the trauma of the 1999 Columbine shooting. We had gotten our daughter back. The Apprentice 2023 FINAL live blog : The countdown is on as Lord Sugar prepares to reveal his next business partner - but willMarnie Swindells or Rochelle Raye Anthony be victorious? Beth said: 'We went through the motions. Roger Kovacs and his wife Lesli in front of Rachel Scotts memorial. To a quieter hill where the woods are still. Rachel's room turned into something of a shrine, her mother said. Among the dead was 17-year-old Rachel Scott. She said she was going to go and get Rachel and Craig. The boys killed 12 students and one teacher before killing Lance Kirklin: My name is Lance Kirklin. I was shot five times at Columbine High school. He was shot by a gun bought through one of the loopholes he had questioned. [13][14] Christian churches used the martyr narrative of Scott's and Bernall's deaths to promote themselves and recruit members. Shot in the chest, arms, and leg to the west of the staircase. Matt played on both the defensive and offensive lines of the schools American football team. An 18-year-old senior, Lauren loved Shakespeare, volleyball, and animals. While the film generated decent box-office returns for a Christian film focused on a school shooting, and Scotts parents did an admirable job of sharing their daughters memory through numerous books and interviews the entire narrative of Rachel Scotts final moments, sold as a product and perpetuated by the media in all sorts of formats, may have been more of a construct than the actual truth. In 2016, Scotts story of facing down her anti-religious killers by being steadfast in her faith came to the big screen. This has garnered the family a fair amount of flack from internet users who theorized this crusade was entirely motivated by profit. Injured near the west entrance by flying glass. Stephanie Munson, 17. If information seems sparse in some areas, it is likely because that individual's family hasn't volunteered more, and not due to the author's lack of interest in the victim. WebBernall was killed by Eric Harris during the Columbine massacre on April 20, 1999. I had 10 cavities.". By. Rachel was not the only member of the family caught up in the shooting. He often helped his father in his electrical store after school. Dan Rohrboughs mum, who said she usually didnt see him in the morning, had a chit chat with her son and gave him a kiss and a hug over breakfast that Tuesday before he walked out of their home and never returned. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-columbine-massacre-victims-1779447 (accessed April 8, 2023). She reached out and Beth reciprocated. Nimmo published Scotts journals after she died in an effort to show the world how strong her daughters Christian values were and, presumably, to facilitate mentally processing that her 17-year-old daughter was shot to death. Cullen described the medias coverage of Columbine as the beginning of the industrys desperation for spectacle murders fitting the reportage to previously established mythologies and explanations. 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