Eyewitness Account

Larry Bourbonnais, a Vietnam combat veteran and witness at the scene of the shooting, described her actions as the bravest thing he had ever seen, including his time in Vietnam. He did not have a gun, but attempted to distract the shooter, calling him names and giving him a target behind a pillar (which turned out to be a decorative hollow pillar!!!).

"I saw him in the hallway...I saw the rifle go up… My only option was to distract the gunman...

"To my left, she came through the doors...

"It was the bravest thing I’d ever seen, including my 14 months in Vietnam…

"She was heroic... she was like an angel, I mean, it was unbelievable, and she was fully exposed, I hear him firing, and she's returning fire, and she's yelling surrender surrender, and she just starts calmly, like she's walking to her car in the parking lot, firing round after round...

"After we met at his slumped-over body, I said, 'You were so calm.' She said, 'I was praying to Holy Spirit the whole time.' "

Jeanne Assam is a Hero

Jeanne Assam, modern day Joan of Arc, prevents mass killing in Colorado City under the protection of the Holy Spirit!

What an incredible woman!

When asked by a reporter if she felt like a hero, Assam said, "I wasn't just going to wait for him to do further damage."

"I give credit to God," she said.

"There was chaos," Assam said, as parishioners ran away, "I will never forget the gunshots. They were so loud."

"I saw him coming through the doors" and took cover, Assam said. "I came out of cover and identified myself and engaged him and took him down."

"God was with me," Assam said. "I didn't think for a minute to run away."

Assam said she believes God gave her the strength to confront Murray, keeping her calm and focused even though he appeared to be twice her size and was more heavily armed.

Murray was carrying two handguns, an assault rifle and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

"It seemed like it was me, the gunman and God," she said.

Assam said she was ending three days of fasting on Sunday when fate put her in the path of the gunman.

"I was praying to God that he direct me" in what to do in life, Assam said. "God made me strong."