Evan Todd was a sophomore at Columbine High School when two student gunman burst into the school library to carry out the majority of their now-infamous killing spree. Nearly 19 years later, Todd has plenty to say about gun control, culture and the path toward preventing similar massacres.
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Todd, who was shot while inside the school library and witnessed his fellow students get murdered execution style, said during a Facebook Live with Faithwire on Wednesday that he is often perplexed in the wake of tragedy by critics who claim that “thoughts and prayers don’t mean anything.”
“Thoughts and prayers after Columbine was something that literally helped me through those tough times,” he said. “Knowing that … there are people who are thinking about you and praying for you is empowering and motivating and uplifting.”
Todd, who added that prayers were particularly helpful after he witnessed so much “death and destruction,” added that he knows attacks on invocations are a political punchline and that those who criticize invoking God on behalf of victims don’t realize the help that these prayers often offer to victims.
“And [prayers] do a lot for society, too, because it shows empathy,” he said. “You’re thinking about more than yourself … it shows that human life does have value and when we lose it it is heartbreaking and it is a tough time for people.”
He also had some thoughts on the Parkland students who are pushing for gun control laws, saying it seemed a bit “disingenuous” for them to immediately go after guns when it took him “weeks and months” to even process what had happened to him. Todd reminded viewers that after Columbine, the public outcry was against jocks and bullies – not guns. He did concede, however, that his experience was different in that the nation hadn’t gone through several high profile mass shootings when Columbine occurred.
Watch Todd defend prayer and detail his Columbine experience below:
https://www.facebook.com/faithwirenews/videos/2046529752283141/
The Columbine survivor also shared some of the finer details of what unfolded inside of the school on April 20, 1999.
“I was in the library when shooting started outside the school. There was a lot of panic and confusion at first,” he said. “The two [killers] made their way into the library and as they were coming through the doors I was the first one who was shot.”
Todd suffered shrapnel to his face after the gunmen fired a few rounds at him and was also struck in the back.
“When they came in … they started talking to students and executing them … shooting them execution style,” he said.
In the end, Todd offered up advice to the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, letting them know that the journey to healing takes quite some time. Watch the above interview for more.