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
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 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
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]
Personal life
| External videos | |
|---|---|
Stark's 2018 TEDx speech |
Stark lives in Denver, Colorado, [2] is married, [1] has four children, [2] and maintains friendships with both Schneider and Stacey. [2] [3]
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]
References
- ^ a b c d "Almost a school shooter: How one man turned his pain into a way to help others". cbs8.com. November 26, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Abuse Pushed Him To Make Violent Plans. Without Knowing, His Friends' Simple Acts Of Love Pulled Him Back". www.wbur.org. April 23, 2019. 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. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Dieser Mann erzählt, warum er fast einen Amoklauf verübt hätte". www.vice.com (in German). July 24, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ "Help Wanted: School counselors prevent violence, so why aren't there more on U.S., Texas campuses?". wfaa.com. October 24, 2018. 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.