Aaron Stark
Aaron Stark | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 (age 44–45) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | North High School (dropped out in sophomore year) |
| Known for | Mental health advocacy, nearly committing a mass shooting |
| Children | 4 |
Aaron Stark (born 1979)[1][2] is an American mental health advocate[3] who is best known for planning but not following through with a mass shooting in 1996.[1][3]
Early life
[edit]Stark spent most of his childhood in Denver, Colorado.[2] According to Stark, he had grown up in a dysfunctional family: his biological father, a Vietnam War veteran,[2] was abusive and violent towards him, his brother, and his mother,[2] while his stepfather and mother struggled with substance abuse.[4][5][6] According to Stark, he had seen his mother being beaten and raped during his childhood.[7] Due to his family being constantly on the run from law enforcement,[6] Stark never attended the same school for more than six months, and he went to 40 different schools.[3][8] According to himself, he was obese, awkward, dirty (because his home lacked running water),[9] and bullied at school.[2][3][10] He began cutting himself at the age of 14 or 15.[6] After being kicked out of his house at the age of 15 or 16 and becoming homeless, and resorting to sleeping in his friend's shed,[3] he sought mental help.[6][8][11] Social services allegedly brought his abusive mother to the meeting, who accused him of fabricating his mental health issues.[3] Reportedly, his mother had told him after the meeting that she would buy him sharper razor blades if he planned to slit his wrists to commit suicide.[6][9] According to Stark, after he had sought mental help a second time, his psychologist told him that nothing could be done and refused him inpatient care.[3][5][7] He dropped out of high school at age 17.[2]
Planned shooting and dissuasion
[edit]In 1996, while homeless, Stark began planning to attack either North High School or the food court of a nearby mall and to then commit suicide afterwards.[2][6] Stark had planned to trade cannabis to obtain a gun from his family's drug dealer.[3][6] According to him, his primary motive was to make his parents feel shame for creating him, and not out of a specific hatred of anyone in the school or mall.[2][11]
Stark was days away from committing the mass murder when he changed his mind.[4][6] His friend, Mike Stacey,[2] who was unaware of Stark's plans,[4] had invited Stark in for a shower and some food,[1] after Stark had visited him with the intent of saying goodbye.[3] He ended up staying for five days at Stacey's house.[2] Stark credits this incident, and his inability to obtain weapons, with stopping him from committing the mass shooting.[2][7][12][13][14]
Months after the incident, Stark was on the verge of suicide again, but was dissuaded after his friend Amber Schneider[2] invited him to a movie and baked him a blueberry-peach pie for his birthday.[5][12][15][16]
Advocacy
[edit]| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Stark's 2018 TEDx speech |
Stark went public about his former plans to commit a mass shooting via an open letter to 9News in Denver in 2018, one day after the Parkland shooting.[12][17] A TEDx conference speech Stark made has gone viral,[9] with over 15 million views on YouTube as of March 2024.[6]
Jonny Santana, a filmmaker, was moved by the Stark's speech and gathered 150 volunteers from San Diego to film a movie about Stark as a youth.[1] The movie, Just Another Tuesday, premiered in November 2019.[18]
Personal life
[edit]Stark lives in Denver, Colorado,[2] is married,[1] has four children,[2] and maintains friendships with both Schneider and Stacey.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Kahnert, Eric (November 26, 2019). "Almost a school shooter: How one man turned his pain into a way to help others". CBS8. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Amer, Yasmin (April 23, 2019). "Abuse Pushed Him To Make Violent Plans. Without Knowing, His Friends' Simple Acts Of Love Pulled Him Back". WBUR. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Chiang, Casey. "He was Almost a School Shooter. What Stopped Him?". Amanpour & Company. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Man says he was almost a school shooter, reflects on Uvalde tragedy". Denver 7 Colorado News. May 31, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Perspective | I would have been a school shooter if I could've gotten a gun". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Stark, Aaron (June 26, 2018), I was almost a school shooter | Aaron Stark | TEDxBoulder, retrieved December 6, 2022
- ^ a b c Gregorio-Nieto, Brenda; Freeman, Danny (November 23, 2019). "'Just Another Tuesday': Film About an Almost School Shooter". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b "The Almost-Mass Shooter: Man Reflects On Stepping Away From The Edge". Newsy. September 13, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c Christoph, Maria (July 24, 2018). "Dieser Mann erzählt, warum er fast einen Amoklauf verübt hätte". Vice (in German). Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ Huffman, Charlotte; Trahan, Jason (October 24, 2018). "Help Wanted: School counselors prevent violence, so why aren't there more on U.S., Texas campuses?". WFAA. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Video: Man who said he was 'almost a school shooter' reveals what stopped him | CNN, July 9, 2022, retrieved December 6, 2022
- ^ a b c "'I Was Almost a School Shooter': Man Pens Heartfelt Letter". Time. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ Dewan, Shaila (August 22, 2022). "What Are the Real Warning Signs of a Mass Shooting?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ "Man who says he could have been 'school shooter' tells his story". MSNBC.com. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ Peterson, Jillian; Densley, James (2021). The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic. Abrams Press. ISBN 9781647002275.
- ^ "'I almost became a school shooter - this is what stopped me'". The Independent. February 22, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ "Colorado father writes open letter after Parkland massacre: 'I was almost a school shooter'". NBC News. February 20, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ Gregorio-Nieto, Brenda; Freeman, Danny (November 23, 2019). "'Just Another Tuesday': Film About an Almost School Shooter". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved December 12, 2024.