Some stories are incredibly difficult to hear—but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be told.

At 16 years old, he brought a shotgun into his high school. One teacher was shot, countless lives were forever changed, and he would spend the next 17 years in prison living with the consequences of his actions.

Today, he works alongside educators, law enforcement, and mental health professionals, speaking openly about warning signs, intervention, accountability, healing, and hope for those who may be struggling in silence.

Topics Discussed:

→ What causes someone to become a school shooter?

→ Can childhood trauma lead to violent behavior?

→ What are the warning signs before school violence?

→ How does untreated depression affect teenagers?

→ Can someone truly change after prison?

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On This Episode We Cover: 

→ 00:00:00 - Introduction 

→ 00:01:57 - What can we learn from someone who committed school violence? 

→ 00:02:52 - Why is he telling his story now?

→ 00:05:24 - What was his childhood really like?

→ 00:07:27 - How did childhood sexual abuse shape his mental health?

→ 00:08:01 - When did depression begin to take over?

→ 00:09:05 - Why did he attempt suicide?

→ 00:12:21 - How did his relationship with school change?

→ 00:13:59 - Did the mental hospital actually help?

→ 00:16:16 - How did his mental health spiral so quickly?

→ 00:17:36 - Why did his mom hire an attorney? 

→ 00:20:18 - Why didn't he tell anyone about the abuse?

→ 00:22:59 - What is the impact of being open about your trauma? 

→ 00:26:20 - How can we all relate to each other more? 

→ 00:27:57 - What happened after he left school for the summer?

→ 00:28:43 - How did he feel when he returned to school? 

→ 00:29:55 - How did it feel to drop out of high school? 

→ 00:31:48 - How did he start to feel at community college? 

→ 00:33:55 - How was his mom handling his mental decline? 

→ 00:35:21 - What is the gun safety process? 

→ 00:37:12 - When did he become suicidal again? 

→ 00:38:33 - Why did he decide to bring a gun to school?

→ 00:40:51 - What was in his suicide note? 

→ 00:41:29 - What was going through his mind that morning?

→ 00:42:33 - How was he feeling throughout the shooting? 

→ 00:44:36 - Did he come in with a plan? 

→ 00:46:50 - When did he decide to start shooting? 

→ 00:49:06 - What happened when he fired the first shot? 

→ 00:51:22 - How was the shooting stopped?

→ 00:53:37 - Why did he finally give up?  

→ 00:54:17 - How does he feel about being alive today? 

→ 00:55:36 - What is his mission in life? 

→ 00:57:52 - How did his friends and family respond?

→ 01:01:32 - What was prison really like?

→ 01:04:29 - Who did he maintain contact with while in prison? 

→ 01:08:09 - When did he decide to share his story?

→ 01:13:01 - How does it feel to share his story now? 

→ 01:14:15 - What did he do after getting out of prison? 

→ 01:16:28 - What happened when he experienced an act of violence? 

→ 01:24:31 - Why did he accept his death? 

Further Listening:

→ My Dad Planned To Kill Us

Check Out Jon Romano: 

→ https://www.tiktok.com/@jonseekingpeace

→ https://chooselovemovement.org/

→ https://988lifeline.org/

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