LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University shooting survivor Troy Forbush spoke about his terrifying experience Thursday during a March For Our Lives rally at the Michigan State Capitol building.
Three students were killed and five were injured when a gunman opened fire on campus at Michigan State University on Feb. 13. Troy Forbush was one of the students shot in Berkey Hall during class. He was shot in the chest, spent a week in the ICU and was the first victim to be released from the hospital.
Three other victims were released after Forbush, but the fifth remains in critical condition.
“This is more than being at the wrong place at the wrong time. This could happen anywhere, at any time in this country. This has to end,” Forbush said as he began his speech.
Forbush was one of several speakers at the March For Our Lives rally that took place Thursday, March 23, on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol building. The organization and its supporters rallied for change, citing the steep increase in mass shootings in Michigan and across the U.S.
Speakers on Thursday shared firsthand accounts of gun violence -- including Forbush, who went into detail about being shot in the chest the night of the shootings.
“What I initially thought to be someone accidentally dropping a heavy textbook quickly turned out to be the piercing sound of a handgun being fired at me and my peers through the doorway entrance in the back of our classroom. I fell to the ground from my seat and tried to act as if I were already dead. As he panned the room with his handgun, I pled for my life and screamed ‘Please, don’t shoot me!’ We were met face-to-face with pure evil,” he said in his speech. “Seconds after being shot clean through the lung, two entrance wounds and two exit wounds, laying in a state of shock that will never leave my mind and forever haunt me, I could feel my phone under me and maneuvered to grab it and call my mom at exactly 8:18 p.m. At that moment I was only thinking about keeping my eyes open for as long as possible and fighting for my life so that I could tell the person I care for most in life that I love her, that I had been shot, and that there was a shooter.”
Forbush stated that the increased security measures the university has taken as a result of the shooting are not enough.
“The classrooms in Berkey Hall did not have locks on them. Just like at least 1,300 other classrooms across campus. Our doors were wide open for anyone to enter if they so choose. The university has since announced that they will be adding locks and updating security measures at night, but we cannot forget that it was too late for Alexandria, Arielle, Brian, myself and the four others wounded in this senseless act. It should be shocking to everyone that we live in a society that requires places of learning to be heavily secured and locked because we cannot come together in the name of children’s safety to end gun violence.”
---> Michigan State buildings require key card entry, have new hours as security measures take effect
As a music education and vocal performance double major, Forbush said the trauma he experienced will lend itself directly to his future career.
“Being a victim of gun violence and a mass shooting survivor is sadly the most relevant experience I will ever need as a future educator and an advocate for student safety,” Forbush said.
Calls for change come as Democratic lawmakers try to pass gun reform laws in the Michigan Legislature in the wake of the Michigan State shootings.
In an emotional plea, Forbush called on elected officials, saying: “Senators, House representatives, and all government officials alike, I just ask one thing of you, please, when voting for current and future gun safety bill packages, think about the people you love, the children in your lives whose future awaits them, and the lengths you would go to to protect them and make sure they reach that future.”
March For Our Lives was founded by students after the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018. The organization works to increase gun control legislation by calling on lawmakers at marches and events similar to Thursday’s rally.
“The truth is that every death caused by gun violence is preventable. But for 40 years, the Michigan Legislature has been in the pocket of the gun lobby and hasn’t acted to keep kids safe from gun violence,” March For Our Lives said on their website. “Michiganders have suffered because of that, most recently the tragedy at Michigan State University. Now, we finally have a chance to change that. Rally with us to demand common sense gun safety laws NOW.”
Survivors know what changes we need to make to keep kids safe because they know what it’s like to be staring down the barrel of a gun.
— March For Our Lives ☮️ (@AMarch4OurLives) March 23, 2023
LISTEN TO SURVIVORS ‼️.#StillMarching pic.twitter.com/cFNaoVJB2I
While most attendees were in support of the event, it was reported that there were several counter-protesters in favor of gun rights. Some of the counter-protesters were reportedly open carrying handguns.
Though the counter-protesters attempted to disrupt Forbush’s statements and recount of the tragedy, he continued to deliver his message as most of the crowd cheered him on in support.
“Alexandria Verner, Arielle Diamond Anderson and Brian Fraser, we will not forget. I repeat, we will not forget!” Forbush said at the end of his speech. “Together, we are Spartan Strong.”