223: Ross was shot while sleeping

What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media

True Crime, Documentary, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.6 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 July 2025

⏱️ 102 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In an ideal world, children should be able to trust their parents. After all, it’s the grown-ups in the family who are responsible for the kids. No child should ever have to worry about safety when mom and dad are around for protection - in an ideal world. That’s the world Ross thought he was living in when he was 8 years old, with his older brother Ryan, who was 10. They were happy kids with no reason to be afraid. Until one night at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, when his mother told his father she wanted a divorce. That’s when something snapped in Ross’s dad’s mind, and he got a gun, and forever changed the history of their family. This is a Flashback episode. Ross was 21 when we first had this conversation, and he’s permanently blind. At the time, he was training to swim in the Summer 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Now he’s 27, and I spoke with him again recently, so you’ll be able to learn what’s happened in his life since he originally appeared on the podcast, and what his plans are for the future. Ross is a pretty amazing young man and I think you’ll enjoy this episode. If you’d like to contact Ross: Instagram: @RossMinorOfficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlindRossMinor Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/rossminor Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/223 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up. Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	In an ideal world, children should be able to trust their parents.
0:05.7	After all, it's the grown-ups in the family who are responsible for the kids.
0:10.6	No child should ever have to worry about safety when mom and dad are around for protection.
0:16.2	In an ideal world.
0:21.3	That's the world
0:22.4	Ross thought he was living in when he was eight years old,
0:25.6	with his older brother Ryan, who was 10.
0:29.0	They were happy kids with no reason to be afraid.
0:32.9	Until one night at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina,
0:36.8	when his mother told his father she wanted
0:39.1	a divorce. That's when something snapped in Ross's dad's mind, and he got a gun and forever changed
0:48.1	the history of their family. This is a flashback episode. Ross was 21 when we first had this conversation and he's permanently blind.
0:59.0	At the time, he was training to swim in the summer 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
1:06.0	Now he's 27 and I spoke with him again recently, so you'll be able to learn what's happened in his life
1:13.1	since he originally appeared on the podcast
1:15.4	and what his plans are for the future.
1:18.9	Ross is a pretty amazing young man,
1:21.6	and I think you'll enjoy this episode.
1:27.1	Real people in unreal situations.
1:31.8	The eerie silence when I walked in, and he's just staring at me.
1:37.3	I was like, hello, like, are you okay?
1:39.8	And then I had to tell him, it was me.
	...

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