Cassie René Bernall (November 6, 1981 – April 20, 1999) was a student killed in the Columbine High School massacre, at age 17.
Initial reports suggested that one of the assailants, either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold, asked Bernall if she believed in God moments before fatally shooting her. She was reported to have answered "yes". This story led to Bernall being presented as a martyr by some Christians, and served as the inspiration for several songs, including Michael W. Smith's, "This Is Your Time," and Flyleaf's, "Cassie."
In the months following Bernall's death, her mother, Misty Bernall, issued the book She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall (ISBN 0-7434-0052-6). In this book Misty Bernall discusses her daughter's turbulent teenage life, spiritual conversion and martyrdom.
The official investigation into the shootings concluded that Bernall did not have the exchange. Nonetheless, in the years since the shootings the story has been incorrectly attributed to Bernall numerous times, including on The 700 Club . Valeen Schnurr, one of the survivors of the Columbine massacre, said in an interview with Stories for a Teen's Heart author Janna L. Graber that the question, "Do you believe in God?" was addressed to her, and that she answered in the affirmative. Witness Craig Scott, brother of Rachel Scott, a girl who was also killed in the massacre, had originally reported that he heard Bernall's voice. When investigators took him back to the scene he indicated that the voice had not come from the area where Bernall had been located. Emily Wyant, who had been sitting with Bernall in the library as the shootings began, asserted that the exchange did not take place. Wyant stated that she and Bernall were studying together when the gunmen broke in. According to her account Bernall exclaimed, "Dear God, dear God! Why is this happening? I just want to go home." Wyant described how Eric Harris suddenly slammed his hand onto the table top and yelled "Peek-a-boo!" before fatally shooting Cassie Bernall. The FBI now states that the "Do you believe in God?" incident never occurred.
References
- ^ McCall, Michael (1999-11-29). "Songs of Experience: Christian singer looks at life's troubles and offers inspired work". Nashville Scene . Weekly Wire . http://weeklywire.com/ww/11-29-99/nash_music-lede.html . Retrieved 2007-03-20 .
- ^ Portell, Paul (2005-02-01). "Flyleaf, Flyleaf EP Review". Jesus Freak Hideout . http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/FlyleafEP.asp . Retrieved 2007-03-20 .
- ^ Cullen, Dave (1999-09-23). "Inside the Columbine High investigation". Salon.com . http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/23/columbine/ . Retrieved 2006-06-18 .
- ^ Gray, Alice; Graber, Janna L. (1999). Stories for a Teen's Heart . Multnomah. ISBN 1576736466 . http://www.jannagraber.com/triumph_over_tragedycolumbine.htm . Retrieved 2006-06-18 .
- ^ Toppo, Greg (2009-04-14). "10 years later, the real story behind Columbine". USA Today . http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-13-columbine-myths_N.htm . Retrieved 2009-04-14 .
External links
- cassierenbernall.org, a website established by Bernall's family
- official website for She Said Yes
- Who said "Yes"?, Salon.com .
- "I Smell the Presence of Satan", Salon.com .
- A mother's story, Anglican Journal .
- Biggest question of all, Rocky Mountain News .
- "10 years later, the real story behind Columbine"
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