I SURVIVED: I Don't Want to Die, I Want to Live

Summary

Cold Case Files: "I Don't Want to Die, I Want to Live"

Host: Paula Barros
Release Date: May 3, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Cold Case Files titled "I Don't Want to Die, I Want to Live," host Paula Barros delves into three harrowing survival stories. These accounts highlight the resilience of individuals who faced life-threatening situations and emerged stronger. The episode meticulously avoids ads, intros, and outros to focus solely on the intense narratives shared by the survivors.

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1. Frederick's Survival Story

Timestamp: 02:06 – 12:43

Background:
Frederick, an 11-year-old boy from South Central Los Angeles, recounts a terrifying home invasion that left him and his mother fighting for their lives.

Narrative Highlights:

• The Attack:
  On a seemingly peaceful night in September 1984, Frederick describes waking up to horrifying screams. A 6-foot-tall intruder, later identified as his 17-year-old neighbor Elmo, violently attacked his mother with a knife.
  Frederick: "He came about 6 inches to my face... he cut me right here on my face." (02:06)

• Fight for Survival:
  As the attacker continued to stab his mother, Frederick grappled with fear and the instinct to survive. Despite severe injuries, including multiple stabbings to his neck, back, arms, and face, he managed to remain conscious.

• Calling for Help:
  In a desperate attempt to save his mother, Frederick tried to use the phone but failed to reach his aunt. His determination led him to seek assistance from nearby neighbors, ultimately alerting the authorities.
  Frederick: "I started beating on this door... and eventually I see these lights from afar off. It was policemen sneaking up on us." (10:43)

• Aftermath and Recovery:
  Three months post-attack, Frederick testified against Elmo, who was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life. Frederick's recovery was arduous, involving extensive medical treatment and emotional healing.
  Frederick: "My recovery was very, very hard and traumatic... My desire to survive was to live. I refused to die." (12:43)

Key Insights:

• Resilience in Trauma: Frederick's unwavering will to live underscores the human spirit's capacity to endure extreme adversity.

• Impact of Community Support: The swift response from neighbors and law enforcement played a crucial role in bringing justice and aiding Frederick's recovery.

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2. Henry and Becky's Plane Crash Survival

Timestamp: 16:52 – 26:52

Background:
Henry and Becky, missionaries returning from hurricane relief efforts in the Bahamas, share their ordeal during a plane malfunction that left them stranded and fighting for survival.

Narrative Highlights:

• The Incident:
  In January 2000, while piloting a small six-seater aircraft, their pilot, Christopher Pierce, suddenly collapsed due to a heart attack, leaving Henry and Becky to navigate the unresponsive plane.
  Becky: "Chris just slowly slumped his head down... I figured maybe the altitude and something happened and made him pass out." (16:45)

• Attempting Control:
  With the pilot incapacitated, Henry and Becky faced the daunting task of landing the plane. Despite their limited flying experience, they relied on Henry's technical knowledge and Becky's instincts to maneuver the aircraft.
  Becky: "I had to fly this Atlantis plane... I was going through all these other feelings and emotions." (18:16)

• Mayday Call and Rescue:
  Their continuous Mayday calls were eventually heard by Dan, a nearby pilot, who guided them through the landing process. Despite the intense pressure, Becky managed to execute a safe landing with Dan's assistance.
  Dan: "Just take it nice slow and easy... We're gonna have to land that thing." (22:23)

• Loss and Gratitude:
  Tragically, Christopher Pierce did not survive the crash, succumbing to his injuries. Henry and Becky expressed profound gratitude for their survival and the unexpected assistance that ensured their safe landing.
  Becky: "I survived because I believe that we trusted in God and he sent an instructor to help us land a plane safely." (26:19)
  Henry: "I survived because it wasn't my appointment... It wasn't our time." (26:52)

Key Insights:

• Importance of Calmness Under Pressure: Henry's composed demeanor was pivotal in navigating the crisis, highlighting how maintaining calmness can lead to effective problem-solving in emergencies.

• Faith and Trust: Both Henry and Becky attribute their survival to their faith and the belief that divine intervention played a role in their safe return.

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3. Missy and Mandy's High School Shooting Survival

Timestamp: 28:08 – 38:22

Background:
Missy and Mandy, twin sisters and high school sophomores, recount the harrowing experience of surviving a school shooting perpetrated by their classmate Michael Carneel.

Narrative Highlights:

• The Attack:
  On December 1, 1997, during their morning prayer group, an armed student named Michael Carneel entered the school lobby and began shooting. The sisters describe the chaos and disbelief as friends and classmates were injured or killed.
  Mandy: "He pulled the .22 out of his backpack and started shooting at us... I saw a girl get shot in the head." (30:02)

• Immediate Aftermath:
  Both sisters were struck by bullets, resulting in severe injuries. Missy was paralyzed from the waist down, while Mandy sustained multiple gunshot wounds but survived.
  Mandy: "When she told me the person that had done it... I couldn't see any blood. I had no feeling of the bullet hitting me." (31:35)

• Facing the Perpetrator:
  A decade later, Missy and Mandy met with Michael in prison. The encounter was emotionally charged, leading them to choose forgiveness over lingering hatred.
  Missy: "We decided that hating him was not gonna make her walk again... I survived because I believe in forgiveness." (37:00)

• Healing and Moving Forward:
  Missy overcame her paralysis to lead a fulfilling life, becoming a mother and a school counselor. Mandy dedicated herself to proving that life can continue meaningfully after such trauma.
  Mandy: "I can move on and be the best person that I want to be... I got that second chance." (38:22)

Key Insights:

• Healing Through Forgiveness: The sisters' decision to forgive their shooter underscores the profound impact of forgiveness in the healing process.

• Overcoming Physical and Emotional Scars: Both Missy and Mandy exemplify how individuals can rebuild their lives and find purpose despite significant physical injuries and emotional trauma.

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Conclusion

This episode of Cold Case Files offers poignant narratives of survival against unimaginable odds. Frederick's experience of overcoming a brutal home invasion, Henry and Becky's miraculous plane crash landing, and Missy and Mandy's resilience after a school shooting collectively illuminate the depths of human strength and the capacity to rebuild lives after devastation. Paula Barros masterfully presents these stories, honoring the survivors' journeys and the enduring spirit of those who refuse to succumb to their circumstances.

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Notable Quotes:

• Frederick: "I didn't want to die. I wanted to live." (04:40)
• Becky: "I survived because I believe that we trusted in God and he sent an instructor to help us land a plane safely." (26:19)
• Missy: "I survived because I believe in forgiveness." (37:00)
• Mandy: "I survived because I have so much more to do in life." (38:22)

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of the episode, providing listeners with an insightful overview of each survivor's story, their challenges, and their triumphs.

Transcript

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[Frederick]

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[Missy]

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[Frederick]

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[Missy]

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[Missy]

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[Frederick]

He came about 6 inches to my face about this close and he took his knife and he cut me right here on my face.

[Narrator]

Real people.

[Henry]

I guess it would be like a panic attack times 10. At that point my heart was racing. You know, I'm sweating, I'm shaking, I'm thinking this is it. These are my children. God, don't let nothing happen to my.

[Narrator]

Children who faced death.

[Mandy]

He pulled the.22 out of his backpack and Started shooting at us. And the very first thing that I saw was a girl get shot in.

[Narrator]

The head and live to tell how.

[Frederick]

I'm hysterical and I'm screaming, I don't want to die. I want to live. And I could hear myself breathing and I could see the blood dripping off of my face.

[Narrator]

This is. I survived. It's September 1984 in South Central Los Angeles. 11 year old Frederick is living with his mother in a new house.

[Frederick]

My mother was thrilled because this was her first house. She was young, she was 33 years old. I was excited because I was gonna get my first room.

[Narrator]

Frederick was excited about attending his new school the next day.

[Frederick]

I remember just looking at the ceiling, pretty much thinking and thinking and it was hard to go to sleep. I was so excited. It got late and I finally fell asleep with pretty much a smile on my face. As I was laying there asleep, I woke up by a scream. It startled me and so I jumped up and immediately I ran to her room. And lo and behold, there was a. A guy that was about 6ft tall. He was attacking my mom. He had the knife in his hand and he was stabbing my mother. Deep strokes. He was in and out as hard as he could. He was trying to get that knife as deep into her body as he could, Almost to the point to it going from her back all the way to the front of her skin.

[Narrator]

Trying to avoid being seen, Frederick peered down the hallway to his mother's bedroom.

[Frederick]

Chills of fear ran up and down my body. I was petrified. I didn't really know what to do. All these mixed emotions. Should I fight, should I run, Should I scream? Before I knew it, I screamed out and he turned around and looked at me. He came charging after me and grabbed me and swung his knife.

[Narrator]

Frederick's mother jumped on the attacker and distracted him.

[Frederick]

I ran into my room, I ended up in the closet and I shut the door and I'm crying and I'm just hysterical and I'm screaming at the top of my voice, God, I want to live. I don't want to die. And my mother was screaming. It was a continual scream, asking for help, telling him to stop. He's trying to pretty much corner her and she's trying to get away. And so he's grabbing on her and she's fighting back. And so I'm hearing in the closet, glass shattering, hitting the ground. I'm hearing pictures fall, you know, the tv. Everything is just. Everything's falling and the walls are just shaking.

[Narrator]

Frederick decided that his mother needed his Help.

[Frederick]

Maybe I can jump him from behind or something. So I began to walk down the hallway, tiptoeing. And she's standing there on the other side, adjacent from the table. And so I'm looking, and when I look from the corner, he sees me. So he rushes after me, and he knocks me down, and he begins to stab me, and he starts stabbing me in my back and my neck. He just stabbed me and stabbed me and stabbed me.

[Narrator]

The intruder then turned his attention back to Frederick's mother.

[Frederick]

She was begging for her life and for my life. He stood there and he thought about it for a few minutes, and then eventually, it's like he just got really upset, and he just went out in a rage. He was trying his best to get that knife in her body to where she would stop and just die. I'm laying there half dead, but my eyes are open. And so I see the phone that's not too far from me. And so I try to stretch my arm out and grab and pick the phone up.

[Narrator]

Frederick wanted to phone his aunt, who lived three blocks away.

[Frederick]

So I press the button to get a dial tone. It doesn't work, but I still try to call my aunt, but I can't get through. And so I did this at least about three times. And at the same time, I'm trying to look just to make sure that this man doesn't notice me trying to give help. My mother was really pretty much trying to pick up from where she had been injured from trying to get herself together. She's dying, but she's trying to get enough strength to try to do something. He did notice me, and he came charging after me with his knife, kind of kicked the phone, and he started stabbing me.

[Narrator]

Frederick was stabbed multiple times in his neck, back, arms, and face. The shock and adrenaline numbed Frederick to the pain.

[Frederick]

I'm laying there on the ground. I'm still alive, consciously with my eyes open, and I'm just listening. He finally wrestled my mother down into the living room. And so I'm across from her in the living room, and I'm looking right across at her. No thoughts come in my mind. It's as if I'm literally about to die. He's stabbing her and stabbing her and stabbing her. And by this time, she's about three times the size from all the swelling. And I could remember hearing the noises of the knife going in and out of my mother's body. And it sounded like fresh meat being chopped up. He was getting frustrated because I'm sure it was taking longer than he thought. And so this lasted for a good three to five minutes of them fighting and tussling. All her screams had stopped. She didn't do anything. I knew it was pretty much over. It was like a wild animal that was going after prey. There was no other emotion but to kill. I wasn't thinking that I was about to die. I was just plain dead. To ensure that he left and that he would leave me alone before he leaves the house, he walks through the hallway and he sees me laying there on the floor. He hesitated and he kneeled down to see if I was alive or not. He came about 6 inches to my face, about this close. And he took his knife and he cut me right here on my face. And it was a pretty deep cut. And he just looked at me to see if there was going to be any response. I didn't feel anything. But I did look at him eye to eye and I noticed who he was.

[Narrator]

Frederick recognized the intruder as his 17 year old neighbor, Elmo. Thinking that Frederick was dead, Elmo left the house.

[Frederick]

I'm laying there in shock, not knowing what to do, thinking that this was a dream. But it wasn't. This was reality. So the first thought was, go to sleep. In my mind, a thought came. Just go to sleep. It's over. My neck is to the side and I can hear myself breathing. And I can see the blood dripping off of my face on my hand to the ground. And I finally make it to the door and I'm breathing and barely could walk because it was very heavy. And I'm walking down the sidewalk. My first thoughts were to make it to my aunt's house that lived three blocks down. I'm sure she would know what to do, But I didn't have enough strength to get there.

[Narrator]

Frederick makes it only as far as a neighbor's house.

[Frederick]

So I'm beating on this door and the neighbors are startled and they don't open the door. They. The wife wakes up first and calls her husband, says, harold, can you come here? Somebody's at the door. And so immediately he calls the cops. I'm starting to lose strength, energy. And I sit down on the stairs. I'm a little nervous and scared and petrified. And eventually I see these lights from afar off. It was policemen sneaking up on us, sneaking up on me because they thought that I was a burglar trying to break in.

[Narrator]

Realizing that Frederick was severely injured, the policeman called an ambulance. Near death, Frederick is rushed to the hospital.

[Frederick]

I woke up with my eyes open, not being able to say Anything? I seen the police officer and the doctor and they were at the foot of the bed and the doctor is talking with the police officer and the police officer says, doc, how's he doing? Is he gonna make it? And the doctor says he's not gonna make it. He's been stabbed too many times. He's lost too much blood. So I'm listening to them and I'm saying I'm alive, look, I'm alive. But they don't notice me. And so the police officer is kind of sad. He puts his head down and, and one of the other police officer looks and said, look, there he is, he's awake. So they rushed toward me and they showed me this book that has juvenile delinquents in it. They pretty much knew who he was, but they asked for me to point him out. So I pointed him out and they took off and they went searching for the young man.

[Narrator]

Just three months after the attack, Frederick testified against his 17 year old neighbor Elmo. Jerry Berkeley was convicted of murder, attempted murder and burglary. He was sentenced to 25 years to life.

[Frederick]

My recovery was very, very hard and traumatic. It took about 30 days for me to actually recover, to go home. Initially I had these bandages wrapped all over my face. I had big staples stapled on the side of my neck bringing the skin back together. I had a trachea in my neck where I have a hole right here. And so I couldn't talk, I couldn't walk, I couldn't keep my head up. It was very heavy. It always fell to the side and I couldn't even eat food. Food was being fed to me through a tube, through my nose. My desire to survive was to live. I refused to die. At the age of 11, I was going to give my best to stay alive.

[Narrator]

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[Narrator]

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[Henry]

It was a small aircraft that we were in. It was a six seater, kind of like a Volkswagen in the sky, very small. Our pilot was Christopher Pierce and he had volunteered to fly us over actually our family for just the cost of fuel. I believe Henry was really quite happy to sit in the co pilot seat. He had flew a few times over with our pastor and had watched how he does. Henry's a very on hands person, an.

[Narrator]

Engineer with a keen interest in flying. Henry quizzed the pilot on how to fly the plane.

[Becky]

I asked questions on, you know, what the gauges were and he showed me how to set the radio when you're talking to the airport net.

[Henry]

Christopher had actually been looking for the coordinates for the GPS because he actually asked Henry to get a book out. So I know he had just set the GPS system.

[Narrator]

The pilot set the flight's path in the plane's GPS navigation system. Becky then noticed that her husband had taken over the controls, looked and said.

[Henry]

Oh, he's letting you fly the plane Because I thought because he had an interest in it, perhaps he just let him since it was kind of a safe place, you know, to go ahead and take the yoke of the plane. But then when Henry looked back at me, his face was really serious.

[Becky]

Chris just slowly slumped his head down and I figured maybe the altitude and something happened and made him pass out.

[Narrator]

The pilot had collapsed at the Controls.

[Henry]

Henry said, chris is unconscious. I was, like, just stunned for a moment. I'm, like, unconscious. How could he be unconscious? You know, it's like, this doesn't happen in real life. This happens in tv. This can't possibly happen. This is like your worst nightmare.

[Narrator]

Becky searched frantically for the plane's first aid kit, but couldn't find it.

[Henry]

So I actually took a diaper wipe and I took a bottle of water, and I began dabbing his face and, you know, trying to revive him and just calling out his name. Christopher. Christopher, please. Please wake up.

[Becky]

I look at my wife and I tell her to ask Jeremiah to take the headset off so he doesn't have to hear what we're talking, because he's 10 years old.

[Henry]

And so I looked over at my oldest son who was over there with his little hands just going and praying. That was 10 year old, and he had a tear running down his face. I think he realized more what was going on than anyone else in the plane.

[Becky]

I'm hoping that he wakes up in a few minutes because I got my wife and my kids, my whole family's in the plane. You know, it's my whole my life there.

[Henry]

I tried to find his pulse, but it was so much shaking and there's so much of a rumble and noise. And even without the headphones, you can't tell what's going on unless you're speaking into the headphones. And then I just looked at Henry and I said, I really don't.

[Becky]

You know, after a while, after Chris doesn't wake up, you know, I realize that I have to fly this Atlantis plane.

[Henry]

I had panic racing in my heart. Everything that I held dear was right there with me. And I'm, you know, going through all these other feelings and emotions, and I look at Henry, and he was pretty much the calm of it all. He was just very focused.

[Narrator]

Henry had to understand how the plane works.

[Becky]

He already has the GPS set. So I figured if I turned around, I'd be lost because I don't know any of the coordinates or anything to get back to where the other airport is. So I just follow the gps. Flying isn't the hard part. We gotta land, and landing is the difficult part because you have to do so many things to put the plane on the ground, right? So I'm worried if I'm gonna be able to do that.

[Henry]

I said, we really need to call out for a mayday. We really do need to try to get some help and let somebody know what's going on here.

[Narrator]

Henry had earlier watched the pilot using the plane's radio.

[Becky]

So I start calling out for mayday and I don't hear anybody answering me. We keep flying and I get all the way to the airport and I'm still calling for mayday and I still don't hear nobody. And I get down to the altitudes under 1,000ft.

[Narrator]

Henry understood that pushing the controls forward would make the plane descend.

[Henry]

We just called out and called out and we found out later on that we were flying below radar. Time kind of stood still because of the stress that we were under. I mean, it was really hard to determine time. It was probably about 20 minutes of calling out mayday and not getting any type of response. And at this point, Henry had thought about the fuel tank. The fuel gauge, I guess was on empty.

[Narrator]

The small plane had a second tank of fuel. Henry knew that there was a switch to change tanks.

[Becky]

The switch is over by the pilot. So I never really took a good look at the switch. And I reach over there and it's all the way on the left side and it's on the left tank. So in my head I'm thinking that it needs to go all the way to the right side for the right tank. So I just reach over there and I switch it over to the right side and the engine starts sputtering. That's kind of stressful knowing that I'm about out of gas in that one tank and I can't get the fuel. Get the valve switched over to the other tank.

[Henry]

We were going to go down whether we liked it or not. When you run out of fuel, the engine's not going to run. So we were really praying really, really hard. And then we're like, God, just let someone hear us, please.

[Becky]

So finally, airplane, I guess it was traveling at about 30,000ft. They heard my mayday. So they talk to the Tampa International Airport and tell them that there's a small plane here.

[Dan]

Aircraft calling mayday, please state your position and aircraft identification if able.

[Becky]

They're asking where we're at. And like I said, we don't know because, I mean, I tell them Winter Haven Airport, but they're wanting to know exactly where I'm at.

[Henry]

At that point, we really didn't know where we are. When you're looking down out of an aircraft over Florida, everything is lakes and orange trees pretty much.

[Narrator]

The mayday call was also heard by Dan, the pilot of a nearby aircraft.

[Dan]

There's a single engine aircraft, the passenger's stock, and the pilot is passed out. Okay, get a position from him. If you can't. Please.

[Henry]

After praying for someone to hear us and someone to guide us that could help us through this situation, here comes Dan along like a knight in shining armor and another aircraft that happened to have been in the area at just that right time.

[Becky]

He asks, is that Chris's plane? And we say, yes, it is. And he says, well, he's been in that plane before, and he's flown in that plane. We explained to him that I'm running low on gas and I want to switch to the gas valves. And he physically tells me to look at the switch.

[Henry]

So he was kind of holding onto the yoke frontwards and reaching over in front of where Christopher was.

[Becky]

And when I look down at the switch, I see what I was doing wrong, and I go ahead and I switch it over there. And then he tells me to go ahead and switch it, but I've already done it, and I'm happy because the motor's running fine.

[Dan]

Okay, just take it nice slow and easy. Now we got to come up with a plan between the two of us. How much time have you got in an airplane? I hate to say this, but none. That's all right. Just consider this your first lesson. Unfortunately, we got to land that thing. You stay with me and we'll give that a shot. I guess I have no choice. Dewey, there's no chance you can wake your pilot up? No, we've tried for the past probably 10 minutes, 15 minutes.

[Becky]

He gives me instructions on, you know, how I gotta adjust the flaps and the throttle and tells me about the pitch and the speed.

[Narrator]

The plane is now circling Winter Haven Airport in Florida.

[Dan]

Need you to climb a little bit. There's a tower up here, and I don't want you to hit it. Pitch the nose up just a little bit.

[Frederick]

That's it.

[Dan]

Can you follow me? What altitude would you like me at? 1,000ft, if you can climb to it. Oh, we can get there.

[Becky]

I ask him about when I land on the ground. You know, how I'm gonna stop the plane because the plane has two pedals on the floor and they're brakes. So he says, well, I don't want you to use the pedals. I want you to use emergency brakes.

[Henry]

I guess it would be like a panic attack times 10. At that point, you know, my heart was racing. You know, I'm sweating, I'm shaking. I'm thinking, this is it. These are my children. God, don't let nothing happen to my children. I gave them their pillows and made sure they were all buckled in good and that their heads were down on the pillows like they show you on television. You know, the little tuck with your hands behind your head.

[Dan]

Throttle up, but you also have to lower the nose pitch for airspeed, power for altitude. Remember that. You see that big, long Runway? Yeah. That's where you're gonna land. All right, so you said, power down a little and pull the flap lever. I want you to follow me right down to the airport. I'm not gonna land, but you are. Okay.

[Henry]

I had turned back around and put my seatbelt on. I had released Christopher, and I reached over to where my smaller son was sitting, and I was bracing his head in case there was impact.

[Dan]

Be advised if. If you can hear me, the emergency vehicles are standing by at Winter Haven.

[Becky]

He says, are we ready to land? And I said, do I have a choice? Because we have to put it on the ground. He says, no, I guess not.

[Dan]

I need you to keep your nose level or slightly above the horizon, okay? Yes, sir. Throttle back just a little bit, and then pull the flat bar up. Pull it up now or throttle down first. Okay. Add a little power back in for me.

[Becky]

Guess I was going a little faster than I should been, and that's why we bounced and hit the ground a little hard. And they say we bounced three times. I reach on an emergency brake and pull the emergency brake and pulls us off to the left and goes off into the grass a little bit.

[Henry]

As I got out, my legs pretty much buckled underneath me from all the stress. I can understand why. You see in the movies, people kiss the tarmac. Because I felt like doing that. I didn't, but I felt like it.

[Becky]

It was a safe landing. Any landing you'd walk away from is a good landing.

[Dan]

The Cherokee is down on the Runway at Winter Haven. It's still right side up. There's no smoke. Everybody ought to be okay.

[Narrator]

Henry and Becky's concern now turned to pilot Chris, who had collapsed mid flight.

[Becky]

Well, I was hoping. I mean, he was passed out for. For 30 minutes or so. So we kind of figured that he might have passed away.

[Henry]

They said even if he had actually been on the ground instead of in the air, that they probably wouldn't have been able to save him. So we were very thankful for our lives. At the same time, it was bittersweet. We were very sorrowful for, you know, losing this great man of God. I mean, he had sacrificed so much.

[Narrator]

Pilot Christopher Pierce was pronounced dead from a heart attack.

[Becky]

I don't think I'm a hero. I just done things that needed to be done. I mean, I survived because I believe that we trusted in God and he sent an instructor to help us land a plane safely. And I want to thank Dan and give my condolences to Chris and his family.

[Henry]

I survived because it wasn't my appointment. The Bible says man's appointed once to die, then after the judgment, it wasn't our time.

[Narrator]

I Survived is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices. That's why they offer a tool called Auto Quote Explorer that allows you to compare your Progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies so you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you. Give it a try after this [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy Bombas makes the most comfortable socks, underwear and T shirts. Bombas are so absurdly comfortable you may throw out all your other clothes. Sorry, do we legally have to say that? No, this is just how I talk. And I really love my Bombas. They do feel that good. And they do good too. One item purchased equals one item donated.

[Frederick]

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[Narrator]

To bombas.comwondry and use code wondry for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M B A S.com wondry and use code wondry at checkout. It's December 1997 in Paducah, Kentucky. Following Thanksgiving, Missy and her twin sister Mandy are getting ready for school. The twin sisters have an early morning prayer group to attend at school.

[Mandy]

Getting up on December 1st was very difficult. So I remember trying to get myself up and putting myself to as fast as I could because I knew that there was a possibility I was going to be late for school and I wanted to make sure that I made it to prayer circle. And that's something that me and my twin sister had done every single day our sophomore year was attend a prayer circle that met in the lobby of our high school.

[Missy]

That morning we were in a huge rush to get to school. We were both in the bathroom fighting like normal sisters do over the mirror, both of us doing our hair. But we managed to get ourselves outside and get in our friend's older sister's car who was taking us to school. So we made it on time.

[Narrator]

15 year old Missy and Mandy were sophomores at Heath High School.

[Mandy]

The kids that I went to school with at Heath, they were mainly the kids that we'd grown up from elementary school to middle school together. And so it was such a small school that pretty much everyone knew everyone.

[Narrator]

The prayer group met in the lobby before class every morning.

[Mandy]

There's probably about 30 or 40 people is what it grew to. That was something that we just kind of felt like it was a good way to start off the day. And it was right before our first bell rang for our first class. So it was right before school even started. Not seeing my friends for four or five days, I was excited to get there and get that chance to talk with them that you really don't normally get during the school day. So I did make it in time to kind of talk to them and kind of hang out with them until Sunday. Someone yelled, time to pray. And for everyone to get together.

[Missy]

We were praying. We were saying amen. And as we finished, we started to walk across the lobby. At that time, we started hearing something that sounded like firecrackers. I had no idea what it was, but I felt something go through my hair.

[Narrator]

An armed student had entered the lobby and started shooting at the prayer group.

[Mandy]

He pulled the.22 out of his backpack and started shooting at us. And the very first thing that I saw was a girl get shot in the head. And when I saw that, I thought, this isn't real. This is a joke. This can't be happening at a school. I thought it was firecrackers, like on the Fourth of July. That was the best way I could describe it, because the only gun I'd ever heard was a gun on television.

[Missy]

There were kids running everywhere, tripping over each other, screaming, trying to get out of the lobby.

[Mandy]

It sounded like three slow pops. And then it was just a spray of bullets. And I don't remember where it was coming from. I couldn't tell. But I guess I could kind of tell that it was coming straight in front of me because of the girl falling.

[Narrator]

Nicole, a friend has been shot in the head.

[Mandy]

I didn't even know it was Nicole. The only thing that I knew is that someone was shot. I think I was pretty much in shock as to what was going on, because all I did was was just stand there.

[Missy]

I looked over, and I saw a girl who had been shot in the head. And she was laying there with her eyes open. And I knew just by looking at her that, you know, she wasn't alive.

[Mandy]

I remember, you know, hearing the gunshots. And during the spray of bullets was when I was hit. I didn't know why I was on the ground, and I hadn't seen the Gun. And so that just was more confusing to me as to why I was on the ground. And after asking my sister at least four or five times, because she was in shock, I think. And I think at that point, that's when I really realized that I had been shot.

[Missy]

It was. It was really quick, but it felt like so much happened in such a short time. She was laying there really funny, so I knew, you know, something was wrong. And I just crawled over to her, laid over top of her, and just continued to watch him shoot.

[Mandy]

It had to been that I was in shock. I just stood there. I couldn't see any blood. I had no feeling of the bullet hitting me. And the best way I could describe the way I was feeling was just as if I was fainting. Like, my entire body went numb. My hearing kind of even left. And I just felt like I floated down to the ground. And even the impact of hitting the floor didn't even hurt.

[Missy]

My sister was hurt, and I was so concerned, and I didn't know how she was hurt. I just knew that she couldn't feel her stomach. And that scared me. And I didn't know was wrong. I saw a boy with a gun. A boy that my sister and I have known all of our lives. His name is Michael. We thought he was really funny. We thought he was a good guy. And we had some classes with him, and we enjoyed being in those classes with him.

[Mandy]

When she told me the person that had done it, I would have never, ever thought that he would have done something like this. I could hear some screaming around me. But then it seemed like after he was done shooting, it was more of, like, an eerie silence. I mean, there was. You could hear some people crying and things like that, but it was very quiet.

[Narrator]

Three students lay critically injured on the floor.

[Mandy]

Jessica was just laying there rolling all over the ground and moaning. And as I watched that, I really wasn't realizing, you know, that there's a possibility that she was gonna die.

[Missy]

After seeing the other girl who had been shot in the head, I was afraid that the same thing might happen to my sister, that she might die too.

[Mandy]

I was pretty much living by the minute at that point as to, you know, I'm gonna. You know, when are we gonna get to the hospital?

[Missy]

When I noticed my sister was hurt, that's when I started feeling scared. And that's when I started feeling like I was helpless.

[Mandy]

Oddly enough, whenever I was laying there and realizing that I was paralyzed, I was a little bit almost more worried about whether I was going to live or die.

[Missy]

I couldn't fix her. Something was wrong. What if this was the last time I was going to see her again?

[Narrator]

With the gunman still present, two teachers entered the lobby to help the wounded.

[Mandy]

I looked over to my right, and there was a girl, Jessica, laying there. My chemistry teacher was holding her. And my algebra teacher, who was just with me a short time before, was saying over and over again, she's not going to make it. She's not going to make it.

[Missy]

I remember looking up and seeing my principal standing outside of the office, and he was just standing there, and he wasn't doing anything. And I remember screaming at the time, why aren't you doing something? Why are you just standing there? Why don't you take care of this? So even though he had stopped shooting and he was still there and nobody had taken him away yet, I didn't feel threatened. I was just worried for my sister's fate and what was going on with her.

[Narrator]

The teenage gunman laid down his weapon and surrendered to the high school principal. The paramedics, who had to drive from a nearby town, arrived 15 minutes later.

[Mandy]

They started to get the most severely injured out of the lobby first. One of the paramedics came over to me, and I told them I wasn't feeling good, that I felt like I was going to get sick, and they didn't want to touch me because they knew that I was telling them that I couldn't feel anything and that I couldn't move.

[Narrator]

Missy was rushed to the hospital where doctors thought she had been shot twice.

[Mandy]

There was an entrance wound in my left shoulder, and there was another wound on the right side of my back. What happened actually was that it being a.22, it bounced around in my body. And so when it entered my left shoulder, it hit my lung, spinal cord and came out the right side of my back.

[Narrator]

The bullet permanently damaged Missy's spine.

[Mandy]

They started performing tests on me by asking me to move my feet. They took a needle and they would poke me and ask me if I could feel it. And of course, I couldn't feel any of it. I couldn't move my feet. I couldn't feel the pokes. And then at that point, that's when they had confirmed to me that I was paralyzed.

[Narrator]

Doctors told Missy that she would never walk again.

[Mandy]

I do consider myself very blessed because, you know, my heart is right here on my left shoulder, and, you know, it just hitting my lung and spinal cord and missing all major arteries and organs besides my lung. I was very, very, very lucky and blessed and they even found the bullet in my shirt.

[Narrator]

14 year old Michael Carneel was sentenced to 100 years plus three life sentences without the possibility of parole. 10 years after the shooting, Missy and Mandy arranged to meet Michael in prison.

[Mandy]

I considered him a friend at one time, and this was hard going to talk to him. But then I was also attempting to visit the person that attempted to murder me. And so here it was very difficult and, you know, I had to make him. It was like he was two different people to me.

[Narrator]

While in prison, Michael Carneel was diagnosed as schizophrenic.

[Mandy]

I asked him if he did try to shoot certain people or what was he thinking. And he did tell me that at the time when he brought the gun to the prayer circle, he had no intentions of hurting anybody or doing anything to anybody.

[Missy]

My sister and I both decided to forgive Michael. We decided that hating him was not gonna make her walk again. Hating him was not gonna make the three girls that passed away during the shooting wasn't gonna bring them back. I don't know if he's crazy, if he was crazy at the time. I don't know if he was a child who had just been picked on so much and just had reached his limit too and was lashing out. I survived because I wanted to live. I wanted to be with my sister. I love my life. And I survived because I was lucky.

[Mandy]

Towards the end of our conversation, he did tell me that he was sorry for what he had done. I feel like there's no such thing as closure. I think that the shooting is something that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life. But meeting with him and talking to him really was helpful. And I think that was the closest that I could get to closure.

[Narrator]

On the day of her wedding, Missy was able to walk and dance a few steps with the aid of a brace. Missy now has two children and works with troubled students as a school counselor.

[Mandy]

I survived because I think that I have so much more to do in life. I am still here to show people that you can beat something like this and that your life doesn't have to end. And that you can move on and be the best person that you want to be and set goals for yourself. Because I almost didn't have a life and I got that second chance.

[Frederick]

Stream all the movies and shows you love for free on Pluto tv. Say what now?

[Becky]

Showtime.

[Frederick]

That means Drama is free. With heart wrenching stories from love and basketball power and Greenleaf. In this family we live by the spirit and laughter is free. With gut Busting comedies like Key and Peele, the Neighborhood, Everybody Hates Chris and Boomerang Watch all the hits all for free from all your favorite devices.

[Mandy]

Oh, my God, I love it.

[Frederick]

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