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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. As we approach the 25-year mark since Columbine, some of the survivors are still dealing with issues related to loss, trauma, and guilt.
Thirteen were killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, 24 others injured 21 of those were wounded by gunfire.
Sean Graves was a freshman at Columbine at the time. He was shot multiple times by one of the gunmen while walking outside the school with his friends Lance Kirklin and Danny Rohrbough during a break after lunch and before an afternoon test.
Dan didnt want to go with us, Graves said. And I actually really wanted him to come with me because well, he was a funny kid. I was stressing out about this test, and I knew hed get me laughing. So, I convinced him to go with us.
And for 20 years, Graves blamed himself for something he had no control over.
It was that memory I repressed because I blame myself for getting Dan, you know I essentially asked him to walk to his death. And that ah yeah, thats, that weighed on me.
As Graves describes it, the shooting started shortly after the trio exited the school and made their way toward the senior parking lot.
Dans off to my right and Lance is to the left and Im kind of bringing up the rear in the middle, Graves said. And thats when I saw two figures standing there one with a black coat and the other with a white t-shirt on, and what caught my attention was them dropping a large black duffle bag at their feet. And I kind of stopped and were looking at it.
Graves says they watched as the two gunmen loaded a magazine, Sean and his friends thought it was just paintballs.
At this point we still believe this to be something called senior annihilation, Graves said. It was a senior prank game.
The shooters began firing at another group of students.
And were like, Okay is it a modified paint-ball gun and theyre using caps? It sounds kind of realistic so we convinced ourselves once again that what were looking at is not real.
Then the gunfire was directed toward Graves and his friends.
Dan got hit, Graves said. Im looking back because Im still confused on where the paint is, you know. Im not seeing any paint hitting anything. No splatter, nothing," said Graves. "And Im looking back and as Im looking back, I was grazed in the neck. Had I not been it probably would have been the center of my throat.
In the chaos of the next few seconds, Graves eventually ran back toward the school.
He was halfway inside the door when he was struck again.
Entered the side of my backpack, a 9 mill did, said Graves. And kind of went in cattywampus or sideways into my spine, hit my T12. I started praying a lot, both that help would be coming and that I would walk again.
In the days and weeks that followed, the Columbine tragedy would grip the nation and the world.
And although the road to recovery was long and grueling, Graves made it his mission to beat the odds.
A lot of them were just like, well if you do walk its going to be confined to a walker or youre going to be using walking leg braces like Forrest Gump did in the movie there, Graves said. And I wasnt satisfied with those responses and so I kept pushing and I made it my goal.
He attended physical therapy nearly every afternoon at Craig Hospital for three years.
I was there busting my butt, learning how to navigate life relearning how to walk, Graves said. Quite literally, I had to learn to crawl again before I could walk again.
And when Sean Graves graduated from Columbine in 2002, he brought the house down by walking across the stage to receive his diploma.
Graves is now helping others who are recently disabled or injured.
As far as their life of recovery and learning to navigate life now without the use of their legs, said Graves. I give them hope.
Hope in an ongoing journey of forgiveness and love.
We choose to go with the path of love, at least I have. And thats how Ive always looked at it, Graves said. Im living life; making the best out of every situation thats handed to me.
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