The 14-year-old kid was not a monster until the second that he pulled the trigger inside Apalachee High killing 2 classmates, 2 teachers, and wounding at least 9 others. For at least a year prior to the attack, this kid cried for help and was ignored by police, teachers, school administrators, community members, and his own family. Committing a school shooting is a final act of violent public suicide when a kid feels like society has forgotten him (or her) and there is no other option.
These are not excuses that justify a school shooting. To prevent the next attack, we need to understand why they happen and take meaningful action to stop them.
Host: David Riedman
Guest: Aaron Stark, father, mental wellness advocate, and someone who wants to show love to the kids who are dirty, homeless, abused, alone, and forgotten by society
TED Talk (41 million views): I Was Almost A School Shooter | Aaron Stark
David Riedman is the creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database, Chief Data Officer at a global risk management firm, and a tenure-track professor. Listen to my recent interviews on Freakonomics Radio, New England Journal of Medicine, and my article on CNN about AI and school security.
Ep 14. Society, institutions, & communities have failed when a 14-year-old takes an AR-15 into Apalachee High