Modern American martyr: Dabbling in drugs and "the occult" beginning in 9th grade, she had been a troubled teen headed down a path similar to the path (even to the point of planning to kill their parents) of the person who would kill her. Instead, as her parents jolted a complete change of environment and freedom by a transfer from public to Christian school, she was drawn into a church youth group at West Bowles Community Church. She accepted Jesus as her savior in early 1997 and began to learn and participate in Christian ways. She began to desire to "make a difference". As she talked with 4 youth group friends in the library at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on 20 April 1999, a killing rampage began. As the two teenage killers in black trench coats approached, she grabbed her Bible and dove under the table. After playing cruel jokes on other victims, Eric Harris pointed a still-smoking gun at 17 year old Cassie Bernall, resting it on her right ring finger (her hands on her head or ears) and challenged, "Do you believe in God!?" She paused, then said, "Yes!" The deranged gunman laughed and said, "Why?" and shot-gunned her dead. A pre-rampage video recorded Harris speaking of his desire to shoot Christians in the head. A survivor...the ancient church referred to them as "confessors"...of 9 bullet and shrapnel wounds, 18 year old Valeen Schnurr had also said, "Yes!" as she crawled away while the shooter reloaded. The shooters killed themselves. 

Seth Houy through his body over a terrified girl to shield her from the bullets; and 15 year-old Daniel Rohrbough paid with his life when, at mortal risk to himself, he held a door open so others could escape.

As a "confessor", Val witnesses for the rest of her life; as a martyr, Cassie was a witness to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus before, during, and after her death. The book, "She Said Yes", by her mother, tells Cassie's story in depth. On May 27th, 1999, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott (another murder victim) testified before the U. S. Congress' House Judiciary Committee and emphatically made his point that "a gun" didn't kill Rachel. A person with a heart filled with evil intent killed her! [do a web search and read the transcript and his poem about the incident] This event has caused people worldwide, who otherwise would not have done so, to consider Jesus as their savior!!!

(posted 2000; latest update 16 February 2004)