Las Vegas Shooting Survivor Says Tragic Incident Transformed Him to A Believer in God

By Trisha Cerdena Oct 06, 2017 01:56 PM EDT

Taylor Benge is one of the survivors of the deadly Las Vegas mass shooting on Sunday night. He said the incident helped him transform from being an agnostic to a true believer in God.

Suspected gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on a country music festival held outdoors at the Las Vegas Village and Festival Grounds on Sunday night. The shooting rampage has led to the deaths of at least 59 people, with over 500 more individuals suffering from injuries.

The shooting incident at the Route 91 Harvest Festival caused thousands of festival-goers to run for cover during what has now been deemed U.S.’ deadliest mass shooting in recent history.

Before the suspect opened fire, country singer Jason Aldean had been performing onstage for the well-known three-day country music festival. His music set had been interrupted with loud sounds that were initially mistaken as “fireworks.” However, the sounds were soon found to be coming from rapid gunfire.

In an interview with CNN’s Rick Berman, Benge recalled the experience and testified that it brought back his faith. He also recalled how his sister risked her own life for his protection.

"My sister and I, we started running to the left and every time they shot, we took cover," Benge shared. "My sister, being as noble as she is, she actually threw herself on top of me and was saying, 'I love you Taylor, I love you.' And I'll never forget that."

Benge believes they were able to survive the tragedy because of God’s grace.

"I was agnostic going into that concert, and I'm a firm believer in God now 'cause there's no way that, you know, all that happened, and that I made it, and I was blessed enough to still be here alive talking to you today," he added.

Benge's interview with CNN can be viewed below.