Cassie René Bernall was 17 when she was killed in the Columbine High School library on April 20, 1999. Two fellow students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out an attack that left 12 students and one teacher dead before the attackers died by suicide; Cassie was among those killed instantly by a shotgun wound to the head while hiding under a library table.

Cassie’s teenage years included a troubled period of experimenting with drugs and alcohol and involvement in a Goth scene. Her parents intervened after finding letters in which she discussed killing them, moved her to a new school, and encouraged participation in church youth activities. After a church retreat she renewed her Christian faith and later transferred to Columbine for a fresh start.

A widely told account that Cassie was asked whether she believed in God and answered yes before being shot circulated after the massacre and inspired a book titled She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall. Subsequent witness statements clarified that the exchange was directed at another student, Valeen Schnurr, and the witness hiding with Cassie, Emily Wyant, said the shooter did not ask Cassie any questions before killing her.