SAN DIEGO — When mass shootings happen at schools, many of us wonder, why? How could someone do such a horrendous thing? What went wrong in their life? We set out to find out.
News 8’s Eric Kahnert sat down with a man who was unbelievably close to shooting up his school and his powerful message caught the attention of a San Diego filmmaker.
Aaron Stark says he had a really tough childhood, but that is an understatement when you hear about his upbringing. The now 40-year-old says growing up with drug addicted parents shuffling him in and out of schools while running from the law was a living hell.
He said he experienced, “terrible, horrible abuse on every spectrum you can think of. Physical, sexual, emotional… every kind of abuse.” The abuse, as he calls it, “a tsunami of pain.”
Stark says that at the age of 13 or 14 after hating himself and people telling him he wouldn’t amount to anything, he started to internalize it. He said he took that darkness and wore it like a shield.
He began cutting himself, and nearly took his own life. The only bit of light for him was his friend Mike. Mike let him sleep in his backyard shed. Aaron said, “When you really don’t have anything left to care about, and you really don’t have anything left that can hurt you, then you just don’t care.”
In 1996, Aaron Stark made a deal with a drug dealer to get a gun and began plotting to shoot up his North Denver high school. “If you think that there is a profile of a shooter, that’s a problem. The only thing that’s real is the pain involved,” said Aaron.
He said the pain had made him not care to live and he didn’t care if he took his classmates down with him. But right before he got his hands on the gun, he said the love of a friend is the only thing that stopped him.
His friend Mike stepped in and started a conversation. In doing so, he showed Aaron that he was not alone. Aaron said, “being treated like a person, when you don’t even feel like a human will change your whole life.” He said it changed his. Instead of going to get the gun, he sat at Mike’s house for four days.
Aaron is now married with four children. After last year’s mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead, he decided to share his story on social media. Aaron says, “Reach out and talk, someone will listen. You are not alone, this world is hard, there is a lot of pain, but you are not alone.”
Aaron also shared his story during a Ted X presentation. It struck such a chord; the video has been viewed nearly 10 million times. One of the only people who can backup Aaron's story of life-struggle and pain - his friend Mike, was in attendance.
The emotional speech caught the attention of San Diego filmmaker Jonny Santana. Santana said, that the speech made him break down crying at work. It was right then he knew that he needed to tell this story.
Santana took to social media to find volunteers to help him make a film about Aaron's story. 150 San Diegans, actors, businesses and vendors helped create the film, called "Just Another Tuesday."
Santana says the movie, " shows you don't have to go through with your dark thoughts, and your suicidal thoughts, there's always help and light if you're willing to find it." Aaron said that is precisely why they made the movie. “Mike made me feel like it was just another Tuesday. The disaster in your life will pass. You are going to make it through it if you just keep going and do not give up,” said Aaron.
Promoting that powerful message is now part of Aaron's life mission. He says, “If I can help one person see that they matter when they don't feel like they're worth it, then I'm going to keep going no matter what.”
Aaron has started a Facebook page -- called, "You Are Not Alone,"it has 2,100 followers and in less than two years, Aaron says the site has helped prevent 11 suicides, and has stopped 3 school shootings.
Aaron and Jonny are hoping the film, Just Another Tuesday will be shown in all schools to drive home the message of empathy, hope and compassion.