In his own words: Larry Bourbonnais

By Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 11, 2007 at 12:30 a.m.

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Photo by Ahmad Terry / The Rocky

New Life Church parishioner Larry Bourbonnais, of Colorado Springs, shows where he was injured by a bullet fragment as he speaks about the heroism of security guard Jeanne Assam.

Photo by Ahmad Terry / The Rocky

New Life Church parishioner Larry Bourbonnais, of Colorado Springs, talks Monday about being shot in the arm by a gunman Sunday and the heroism of security guard Jeanne Assam, who confronted the shooter and killed him after he continued his attack.

Colorado Springs resident Larry Bourbonnais, 59, is a New Life parishioner and a Vietnam veteran who was slightly injured by a bullet fragment during the shooting at New Life Church that left the gunman and two sisters dead.

"After Columbine, I promised my daughters that if I'm ever in that kind of situation, that I would do something. Instead of standing by while people are being slaughtered, people need to take action.

There were two other armed guards, but they weren't doing anything. I asked one of them to give me their gun so I could take the guy out. I thought, I've got to take this guy out. I stepped out from behind a pillar so he could see me, then I saw a female come from outside.

I was either being heroic or stupid. But I was afraid the guy would shoot me from the back. I just kept thinking I wanted to take him out.

After she shot him dead, I took a 9 millimeter gun out of his right hand. It was jammed. There was a round stuck.

He was bleeding from his back. The guy was an idiot. He was standing along a wall of plate glass. She took him out. It all happened so fast.

They made me go outside because I was a key witness. I saw a male victim. The EMT had taken his clothes off. He was cold and in a lot of pain.

Two of my daughters, Stacey and Sherry, met me at the hospital. They brought me a coat and a shirt. I told them about the promise I made to them and that I tried. They were crying.

If he had killed me, I would have gone to heaven."

• December 18, 2007

  6:13 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  iluvdenver writes:

  This yahoo was equally as dangerous as the shooter.

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