I Was Almost a School Shooter

Invisible Choir

Reach Freaks

True Crime

4.7 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2023

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1996, 17-year-old Aaron Stark of Denver, CO had made up his mind. He was going to become a school shooter. Before the days of Columbine, there weren’t metal detectors at every entrance or armed community services officers standing guard in American schools. In fact, it was relatively easy for a kid to bring a gun to school. Aaron had it all planned out. He knew exactly how he was going to get the weapon and in his mind, there was no turning back. But ultimately that is exactly what he did. We had a chance to speak with Aaron…and not from his prison cell, but instead on a Zoom call from the comfort of his own home.

Written by Michael Dunphy Jr., Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. Special thanks to Aaron Stark for participating in an exclusive interview and for sharing his perspective.

Episode Sponsors:

Fabric by Gerber Life: Protect your family today with Fabric by Gerber Life by applying at https://www.meetfabric.com/invisible
Babbel: Learn a new language today and save up to 55% off your subscription at https://www.babbel.com/invisible

Visit Invisible Choir on the web:

Patreon - Invisible Choir Premium: https://www.patreon.com/InvisibleChoir
Website: https://www.invisiblechoir.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InvisibleChoirPodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblechoir/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InvisibleChoir

Written/Audio Sources:

Music & Sound Effect Sources

Opening Track: “Ambient Cave” by Lance Conrad
Closing Track: “Aureole of Hope” by Rand Aldo

Music & Sound Effect Sources

All music & sound effects used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound ® & SoundStripe ®. Individual sources are available via request at [email protected]

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The views expressed in the following episode are those of the subject's interview, or individual presenters from the case.
0:05.7	They do not necessarily reflect the views of each of LLC, the Invisible Choir Podcast or Cast Media.
0:12.0	Also, please take special care when listening to this episode as it includes graphic depictions relating to self-harm and suicide.
0:20.0	Invisible Choir explores detailed depictions of violence and murder and is not appropriate for all audiences.
0:32.0	Listener discretion is advised.
0:34.0	My victims were going to be my parents. I wanted to make my parents deal with making me.
0:40.0	I wanted to have them deal with creating a monster.
0:50.0	Alright, so we're going to venture into a little different space in this episode.
0:58.0	Because while we were researching cases to cover, we came across a TED Talk video on YouTube, a speech delivered by a man named Aaron Stark.
1:09.0	Now, you may have heard of him or even watched this exact same video.
1:14.0	It's one of the most popular presentations of the entire TED Talk series and currently has over 14 million views.
1:21.0	Within those seven minutes and 28 seconds, Aaron captivates a live audience, providing a first-hand account of how he almost became a school shooter.
1:31.0	The dissertation is powerful and has the potential to bring even the most stoic and unflappable individual to tears.
1:40.0	His story has gained a massive amount of attention in recent years and for good reason.
1:45.0	A case this widely covered is normally something we'd steer clear of, but we knew there was more to his story.
1:52.0	And we weren't interested in regurgitating a piece. It's already been done nor did we have any interest in just scratching the surface on this one.
2:00.0	We wanted to dig deeper. We wanted to learn how this man's environment pushed him toward wanting to commit.
2:07.0	One of the most heinous and unforgivable crimes imaginable. So we reached out.
2:12.0	And after some back and forth regarding scheduling, Aaron agreed to speak with us.
2:17.0	My name is Aaron Stark. I am 43 years old and I'm in Denver, Colorado.
2:22.0	Now if the title didn't make it obvious already, had Aaron carried out his original plans of mass murder,
2:28.0	goes without saying that he wouldn't be chatting with us on a Zoom call from his living room.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Reach Freaks, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Reach Freaks and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.