Cassie Bernall
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Cassie Bernall (November 6, 1981 - April 20, 1999) was a student killed in the Columbine High School massacre.
Initial reports suggested that one of the assailants, either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold, asked Bernall if she believed in God moments before shooting her dead. She was reported to have answered "yes". This story led to Bernall being hailed as a martyr by some Christians. In the months following Cassie's death, her mother, Misty Bernall, authored the book She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall (http://www.griefcompanion.org/e-books/SheSaidYes.htm) (ISBN 0743400526) which discusses Cassie's teenage life and spirituality.
The official investigation into the shootings concluded that Cassie did not have the exchange ([1]). Witness Craig Scott, brother of Rachel Scott, a girl who was also killed in the massacre, had originally reported that he heard Cassie's voice. However, when investigators took him back to the scene he indicated that the voice had not come from the area where Bernall had been located. Moreover, Emily Wyant who had been sitting with Bernall in the library as the shootings began confirmed that the exchange did not take place. Official investigation attributed the statement to survivor Valeen Schnurr.
Wyant says that she and Bernall were studying together when the gunmen broke in. She says that Cassie prayed, "Dear God. Dear God. Why is this happening? I just want to go home." Suddenly, according to Wyant, Eric Harris slammed his hand onto the table and yelled "Peekaboo!" before fatally shooting Cassie.
Reports that state that Cassie said "yes" persist. The website ([2]) of the best-selling book, for example, continues to feature this claim. Some people find Cassie's story of a complete transformation of a difficult life, which was strongly influenced by witchcraft and the occult, to be deeply poignant and inspiring. Cassie's life experienced this turn around after moving to a private Christian school. Bernall's mother writes that her daughter said that she had been born again by the move to the school.
External links
- First news account that the Cassie story was a myth--Salon (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/23/columbine/)
- Christianity Today's Wendy Zoba attacks Dave Cullen's Salon account (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1999/144/11.0.html)
- Denver Rocky Mountain News report on the investigation (http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/shooting/1214col1.shtml)
- Website about Cassie Bernall and the book written about her (http://www.cassiebernall.com)
- Who said "Yes"? (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/30/bernall/)
- An article that talks about how Cassie changed (http://www.anglicanjournal.com/125/10/af02.html)
- Another critical view of the Bernall story (http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/casshoax.htm) From an atheist website
- Columbine Christians: 'I Smell the Presence of Satan' (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/05/15/evangelicals/index.html)eo:Cassie BERNALL