[ APPLAUSE ]
>>> WERE BACK, NOW, WITH OUR
SERIES "I SURVIVED." MY NEXT THREE GUESTS HAVE
OVERCOME UNIMAGINABLE TRAGEDIES.
THEY WERE PRESENT AT TWO OF THE
WORST MASS SHOOTINGS IN OUR
COUNTRYS HISTORY.
ONE AT COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL AND TWO AT AN AURORA, COLORADO,L AND
TWO AT AN AURORA, COLORADO, MOVIE THEATER.
MOVIE THEATER. THEY HAVE COME TOGETHER IN A NEW
FILM CALLED SURVIVING THEATER 9. HERES SOME OF THE STORY.EATER 9.
HERES SOME OF THE STORY. >> WHAT IS YOUR EMERGENCY?
>> Reporter: APRIL 20th, 1999.
WE WATCHED THIS HEART WRENCHING EVENT UNFOLD IN LITTLETON,CHING
EVENT UNFOLD IN LITTLETON, COLORADO.
COLORADO. >> THEY TOLD US TO GET DOWN.
>> Reporter: COLUMBINE WAS A
TRAGEDY AT THE HANDS OF TWO
CLASSMATES WHO CAME IN WITH GUNS, KNIVES AND EXPLOSIVES.
>> SUSPECTS HAVE BEEN FOUND
INSIDE THE BUILDING AND ARE
DEAD. >> WE SHOULD BE SAFE AT SCHOOL.
IT SHOULD BE A SAFE PLACE.
>> Reporter: MORE THAN 13 YEARS
LATER, AURORA, COLORADO, WOULD
EXPERIENCE ITS OWN DEVASTATION,
WHEN MOVIEGOERS WERE BLIND SIDED BY GUNFIRE.OERS WERE BLIND SIDED
BY GUNFIRE. >> THIS OCCURRED IN THEATER
NUMBER 9.
NUMBER 9. >> Reporter: A 34-YEAR-OLD SET
OFF TEAR GAS BEFORE SHOOTING AND
INJURING MORE THAN 70.
THE GUNMAN WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE
IN PRISON.
IN PRISON. TIM McGRATH LIVED THROUGH THAT
SHOOTING SPREE.
SHOOTING SPREE.
AND HE BRINGS THE LESSONS HE LEARNED TO A NEW SHORT FILME
LEARNED TO A NEW SHORT FILM CALLED "SURVIVING THEATER 9."
THE GOAL IS TO SHOW THE JOURNEY
OF SURVIVORS LIKE HIM.
>> WE THINK THIS IS THE BEST
FOOT FORWARD TO GIVE HOPE AND
STRENGTH TO THOSE WHO NEED IT.
>> TIM McGRATH IS THE WRITER,
ACTOR AND DIRECTOR BEHIND
"SURVIVING THEATER 9."
HE WITH 12-YEAR-OLD JACOB
GARRITY, ESCAPED THE THEATER
WITH THEIR LIVES.
AND KIM BLARE WOODRUFF WAS A
STUDENT IN 1999.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THIS IS YOUR PROJECT.
GUNFIRE ERUPTS IN THE THEATER.
WHEN YOU REALIZED WHAT WAS
HAPPENING, HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO
SAVE YOURSELF.
SAVE YOURSELF. >> I WAS IN THEATER 8.
THE BULLETS CAME THROUGH THE
WALL, DOWN THROUGH THE FRONT.
ITS HAZY.
ITS HAZY. YOU GET DOWN BEHIND THE SEATS.
AND WE WENT DOWN TOWARDS THE
MAIN EXIT, THE CHUTES WHEN YOU
WALK IN A MOVIE THEATER.
WE WENT BACK UP AND WENT THROUGH
A PROJECTIONIST BOOTH AREA.
>> IS IT TRUE THAT YOU WERE
STILL SO STUNNED, YOU WENT AND
SAW "THE DARK KNIGHT" THE NEXT
DAY?
DAY?
>> YES. YEAH.S.
YEAH.
>> HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? WHY DO YOU THINK YOU DID THAT
IN.
IN.
>> I WASNT THINKING CLEARLY AT
THOSE MOMENTS. WE GOT UP AND IT WAS LIKE, DONT
LET THE TERRORISTS WIN KIND OF
MOMENT.
MOMENT.
WE WENT TO THE 16th STREET MALL AND THEY WERE PLAYING IT.T MALL
AND THEY WERE PLAYING IT. >> YOU WERE IN THE THEATER WITH
YOUR OLDER BROTHER.
AND WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE
GUNFIRE STARTED?
GUNFIRE STARTED? >> I STOOD UP AND JOSHUA PULLED
ME DOWN AND WE WAITED UNTIL IT
STOPPED.
STOPPED.
WE WENT UP AND WENT OUT THE DOOR
AT THE TOP OF THE THEATER AND
WENT OUT THE LOBBY.
>> THATS YOUR BIG BROTHER WHO
HELPED YOU?
>> YEAH.
HE PRETTY MUCH SAVED MY LIFE. I WOULD HAVE KEPT STANDING IF HE
DIDNT PULL ME DOWN.
>> YOU WERE AT COLUMBINE THE DAY
THE TWO SHOOTERS CAME IN.
YOU KNEW ONE OF THEM. DID YOU SEE HIM THE DAY OF?
DID YOU HAVE A DIRECT
INTERACTION WITH HIM?
>> I WAS OUTSIDE WHERE IT BEGAN.
AND SO, I SAW THEM TAKE THE
DUFFEL BAG UP TO THE TOP OF THE
HILL, PULL OUT THE GUNS, NOD TO
EACH OTHER AND BEGIN SHOOTING
EVERYBODY.
EVERYBODY.
I HAD MY BEST FRIEND SHOT RIGHT NEXT TO ME.ST FRIEND SHOT RIGHT
NEXT TO ME. BEFORE SHE WAS SHOT, YOU KNOW, I
MADE EYE CONTACT WITH THE
GUNMAN.
GUNMAN.
HE RECOGNIZED ME AND HE MOVED
THE GUN AND SHOT HER.
I HAVE AN IDENTICAL TWIN, AS WELL.E AN IDENTICAL TWIN, AS
WELL. AND SHE WAS A LIBRARY KID.
IN THAT MOMENT FOR HER, THEY
LOOKED UNDER THE TABLE AND
COULDNT TELL IF IT WAS ME OR IF
IT WAS HER.
WERE IDENTICAL.
WERE IDENTICAL. AND I WAS ALWAYS VERY NICE TO
DYLAN.
DYLAN.
AND THEY MOVED TO THE NEXT
TABLE.
>> YOU THINK HE SPARED YOU FOR THAT REASON? HE SPARED YOU FOR
THAT REASON?
>> ITS THE ONLY THING I CAN
HOPE FOR.
OTHERWISE, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE CHAOS.ISE, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE
CHAOS.
AND I TEND TO THINK THAT WERE
MORE KIND IN OUR NATURE THAN WE ARE EVIL. IN OUR NATURE THAN WE
ARE EVIL. AND IM HOPING THAT IN JUST THAT
BRIEF MOMENT, HE REMEMBERED THAT
PIECE OF HIS HUMANITY AND ALL OF
THE KINDNESS THAT I GAVE HIM.
>> IS THERE ANY SURVIVORS
GUILT?
GUILT?
>> NOT ANYMORE.
>> GOT THROUGH THAT. >> IVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND PEACE.
I WAS ABLE TO FIND PEACE ABOUT
THE TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
AND IVE BEEN ABLE TO LIVE IN MY
PEACE SINCE THEN.
>> HOW ABOUT YOU, JACOB?
WHEN YOU SEE THESE OTHER
STUDENTS RISE UP OUT OF
PARKLAND, FLORIDA, AND ELSEWHERE
TO TRY TO STOP THIS FROM
HAPPENING, WHAT DOES THAT BRING
UP FOR YOU?
>> I JUST, I FEEL REALLY BAD
THAT ANYONE HAS TO GO THROUGH
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
JUST REALLY CHANGES WHO YOU ARE.
AND ITS NOT FUN.
ITS NOT A GOOD CHANGE.
>> THE FACT YOU FOUND THE
ABILITY TO LEAN ON YOUR FAMILY,
FIND FRIENDS TO SUPPORT YOU,
SPEAKS TO YOUR MENTAL
WELL-BEING, YOUR ABILITY TO TAKE
CARE OF YOURSELF.
AND I KNOW YOURE HERE TODAY TO
TRY TO SEND THAT SAME MESSAGE.
THANK YOU ALL.
GOOD LUCK WITH THE FILM.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
ALL THE BEST TO YOU.
THE MOVIE, AGAIN, CALLED
"SURVIVING THEATER 9."