Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
You're listening to Human Wreckage, a podcast about
(00:02):
tragedy, trauma, and the longroad back.
We tell the stories left behindwhen the unthinkable happens.
Stories of broken systems,broken lives, and sometimes the
strength to rebuild.
Today, we're going back to aquiet Monday morning, October
21, 2013, in Sparks, Nevada.
The sun had just risen over theWashu County Mountains.
(00:23):
Students were filing off buses,joking with friends, heading
toward class.
It was the start of anotherschool week normal routine.
But at 7 15, everything changed.
A twelve year old boy, just aseventh grader, pulled a
semi-automatic handgun from hisbackpack on the blacktop of
Sparks Middle School.
What followed lasted less thanthree minutes.
(00:44):
In that time, two students wereinjured, a heroic teacher lost
his life, and the shooter achild turned the gun on himself.
The nation barely paused.
Just a few months after the NavyYard shooting in DC and less
than a year after Sandy Hook,this tragedy was quickly swept
into the ever-growing list ofAmerican school shootings, a
headline, a blip, another name,another town.
(01:07):
But for the families at Sparks,the trauma never ended.
And for those who look deeper,the questions raised by this
incident remain haunting andunanswered.
Why did a twelve year old bringa gun to school?
Where did he get it?
What drove him to open fire onclassmates?
And why did no one see itcoming?
And most urgently, what couldhave been done to stop it?
In this episode of HumanWreckage, we'll explore the
(01:30):
events of that day minute byminute and the wreckage left in
its wake.
We'll hear from students whowere on the playground trapped
in fear, from parents who had towait hours for news, from
community members who stillcarry scars.
We'll also dig into thebackground of the shooter, a
quiet, bullied kid whose painwent unnoticed until it was too
late.
We'll explore how access tofirearms, lapses in school
(01:53):
safety, and the silencesurrounding adolescent mental
health all converged into onehorrific morning.
And we'll ask, has anythingchanged?
Because when the headlines fade,when the camera crews leave,
what remains is the human costof wreckage and the hope that
maybe by understanding it, wecan prevent the next one.
This is human wreckage.
I'm Thomas, and this is thestory of the Sparks Middle
(02:16):
School shooting.
(02:55):
His friend said that he lovednothing more than telling jokes,
but he could never quite get tothe punchline before busting out
laughing.
He worked in his family'srestaurant, and with his
hard-earned money, he wouldpurchase candy and ice cream for
him and his friends.
Less than 10 minutes afterReyes' mother dropped him off at
Sparks Middle School on the 21stof October 2013, Ray's and a
(03:16):
well-loved math teacher, MichaelLansbury, would be dead from
gunshot wounds.
That morning, Rayze had armedhimself with his parents' Ruger
pistol and two magazines ofammunition.
Upon entering the basketballcourts of Sparks Middle School,
Rayze, who was said by witnessesto be crying, opened fire with a
semi-automatic handgun.
First, he shot twelve-year-oldKJ Kersey in the shoulder.
(03:38):
Michael Lansbury rushed over anddesperately tried to talk Ray's
into handing over the weapon,giving other students a chance
to flee.
Instead, Ray's pointed theweapon at Lansbury and shot him
dead.
Rayze then turned the gun ontwelve-year-old Mason Davis, who
ran to Lansbury's assistance andshot him in the stomach.
Afterwards, Ray shot himself inthe head.
(03:59):
Both Kersey and Davis survivedtheir injuries.
The investigation into theshooting painted a grim picture
of bullying and depression.
Ray's was troubled by depressionand tormented by a school life
where he was mocked, teased, andmistreated.
Just days before the shooting,Ray's father took him to a
psychotherapist who prescribedhim Prozac after he explained
that he was being bullied atschool.
(04:20):
Ray's told the psychotherapistthat classmates mercilessly
mocked him.
He said that they called him gayand accused him of wetting his
pants.
Police later announced that oneof the students who had been
shot had teased Ray's about nothaving muscles during a physical
education class and may have hada part in pouring water on him
when he was accused of wettinghimself.
Jose had wrestled with speechproblems since a young boy, and
(04:43):
a number of students oftencalled Jose stupid and retarded
because of this.
When he was in the hallways,students would poke him and
laugh and even steal his lunchmoney.
Not to be rude, but he was likea nobody, said Axel Lopez, one
of Rey's classmates.
Despite the evident mistreatmentof Rey's, which had been
corroborated by numerous otherstudents, Sparks Police Chief
(05:05):
Brian Allen said that it didn'trise to the level to merit
bullying charges.
Following the shooting, Lansburywas remembered in a memorial
service for his character andselfless acts in the military
and on the basketball court thatmorning.
The former Marine was describedas a devoted father, husband,
and teacher who made theultimate sacrifice in a bid to
(05:25):
save his students.
This tragedy is one we'll allstruggle to understand, said the
governor.
What is conclusive is hisselfless acts to give his life
so others might live.
By his actions, he has inspiredus all to do all we can for our
fellow man.
Pedro Martinez, superintendentof the Washoe County School
District, said that Lansburycould have taken his pick of any
(05:46):
school to work at, but that hechose one of the Reno area's
highest poverty middle schoolsbecause he felt as though those
children needed him the most.
Lanbury's friends spoke abouthis passion for Batman, Star
Wars, and video games, addingthat he humbled himself to
children and they flocked to himfor it.
He received full militaryhonors, including a 21-gun
(06:07):
salute.
In the wake of the shooting, itwas discovered that Jose had
left behind two suicide notes.
In one address to teachers andstudents, Jose expressed his
anger over his belief that hewas being embarrassed and
mistreated by his fellowclassmates.
He wrote that he had been calledgay, lazy, stupid, an idiot, and
that money has been stolen fromhim.
(06:27):
Well that all ends.
Today I will get revenge on thestudents and teachers for
ruining my life, he wrote.
He closed the note with adrawing of a tombstone which
read, Sparks Middle School1965-2013.
The second note was addressed tohis parents.
In those notes he wrote that theshooting was not because of the
(06:49):
shooting games, the bullying, orother stuff, but because some
bad things in the past happenedto me.
He elaborated, and now I'm justa monster.
If you hate me and my familydoesn't love me, it's okay.
I know that I'm just an idiot.
But I love you and I wish thepast would be good and better
someday.
Following the shooting, Jose'sparents said that the gun had
(07:10):
been kept in a closet above thefridge, and that they didn't
realize Jose had known about thegun.
Initially, police said that hisparents could be charged if they
knowingly made the gun availableto him.
However, Sparks Police ChiefBrian Allen later announced that
they wouldn't be pursuingcriminal charges.
Jose and Liliana Reyes donated$14,000 to an anti bullying
(07:31):
program in a partnership withthe school district.
They said that they wanted tomake Washu County schools safer.
We don't want anyone to gothrough what we went through,
said Jose Reyes SR, to the RenoGazette Journal.
It's been over a decade sincethe shooting at Sparks Middle
School.
The students who were there thatmorning have grown up.
Some have spoken out, othersprefer silence, but none of them
(07:54):
forget.
Michael Lansbury, the teacherwho stepped in front of a bullet
to protect his students, isremembered as a hero not just
for how he died, but for how helived.
A marine, a mentor, and someonewho believed in the promise of
every child, even the onestruggling.
The boy who brought the gun toschool will never grow up.
His name rarely gets mentionednot out of malice, but out of
(08:16):
heartbreak.
His story isn't one of evil,it's one of pain, of warning
signs missed, of a system thatdidn't know how to listen.
We want to believe these storiesare rare, that they're
unthinkable, but they keephappening in hallways and
classrooms across the country,and each time we ask the same
questions.
Each time we hope it's the last.
(08:36):
But hope is not a strategy, andsilence is not safe.
If there's anything to take fromsparks, it's this.
The signs were there.
The gaps were real, and thedamage to lives, to families, to
futures is immeasurable.
Thank you for joining us forthis episode of Human Wreckage.
If this story affected you, orif you or someone you know is
(08:57):
struggling, please check theresources in the show notes.
Help is out there, and it'snever too early to ask.
Until next time, take care ofeach other.
Take care of yourselves.
And remember behind everyheadline, there are lives
forever changed.
You're listening to Human Wreckage, a podcast about
(00:02):
tragedy, trauma, and the longroad back.
We tell the stories left behindwhen the unthinkable happens.
Stories of broken systems,broken lives, and sometimes the
strength to rebuild.
Today, we're going back to aquiet Monday morning, October
21, 2013, in Sparks, Nevada.
The sun had just risen over theWashu County Mountains.
(00:23):
Students were filing off buses,joking with friends, heading
toward class.
It was the start of anotherschool week normal routine.
But at 7 15, everything changed.
A twelve year old boy, just aseventh grader, pulled a
semi-automatic handgun from hisbackpack on the blacktop of
Sparks Middle School.
What followed lasted less thanthree minutes.
(00:44):
In that time, two students wereinjured, a heroic teacher lost
his life, and the shooter achild turned the gun on himself.
The nation barely paused.
Just a few months after the NavyYard shooting in DC and less
than a year after Sandy Hook,this tragedy was quickly swept
into the ever-growing list ofAmerican school shootings, a
headline, a blip, another name,another town.
(01:07):
But for the families at Sparks,the trauma never ended.
And for those who look deeper,the questions raised by this
incident remain haunting andunanswered.
Why did a twelve year old bringa gun to school?
Where did he get it?
What drove him to open fire onclassmates?
And why did no one see itcoming?
And most urgently, what couldhave been done to stop it?
In this episode of HumanWreckage, we'll explore the
(01:30):
events of that day minute byminute and the wreckage left in
its wake.
We'll hear from students whowere on the playground trapped
in fear, from parents who had towait hours for news, from
community members who stillcarry scars.
We'll also dig into thebackground of the shooter, a
quiet, bullied kid whose painwent unnoticed until it was too
late.
We'll explore how access tofirearms, lapses in school
(01:53):
safety, and the silencesurrounding adolescent mental
health all converged into onehorrific morning.
And we'll ask, has anythingchanged?
Because when the headlines fade,when the camera crews leave,
what remains is the human costof wreckage and the hope that
maybe by understanding it, wecan prevent the next one.
This is human wreckage.
I'm Thomas, and this is thestory of the Sparks Middle
(02:16):
School shooting.
(02:55):
His friend said that he lovednothing more than telling jokes,
but he could never quite get tothe punchline before busting out
laughing.
He worked in his family'srestaurant, and with his
hard-earned money, he wouldpurchase candy and ice cream for
him and his friends.
Less than 10 minutes afterReyes' mother dropped him off at
Sparks Middle School on the 21stof October 2013, Ray's and a
(03:16):
well-loved math teacher, MichaelLansbury, would be dead from
gunshot wounds.
That morning, Rayze had armedhimself with his parents' Ruger
pistol and two magazines ofammunition.
Upon entering the basketballcourts of Sparks Middle School,
Rayze, who was said by witnessesto be crying, opened fire with a
semi-automatic handgun.
First, he shot twelve-year-oldKJ Kersey in the shoulder.
(03:38):
Michael Lansbury rushed over anddesperately tried to talk Ray's
into handing over the weapon,giving other students a chance
to flee.
Instead, Ray's pointed theweapon at Lansbury and shot him
dead.
Rayze then turned the gun ontwelve-year-old Mason Davis, who
ran to Lansbury's assistance andshot him in the stomach.
Afterwards, Ray shot himself inthe head.
(03:59):
Both Kersey and Davis survivedtheir injuries.
The investigation into theshooting painted a grim picture
of bullying and depression.
Ray's was troubled by depressionand tormented by a school life
where he was mocked, teased, andmistreated.
Just days before the shooting,Ray's father took him to a
psychotherapist who prescribedhim Prozac after he explained
that he was being bullied atschool.
(04:20):
Ray's told the psychotherapistthat classmates mercilessly
mocked him.
He said that they called him gayand accused him of wetting his
pants.
Police later announced that oneof the students who had been
shot had teased Ray's about nothaving muscles during a physical
education class and may have hada part in pouring water on him
when he was accused of wettinghimself.
Jose had wrestled with speechproblems since a young boy, and
(04:43):
a number of students oftencalled Jose stupid and retarded
because of this.
When he was in the hallways,students would poke him and
laugh and even steal his lunchmoney.
Not to be rude, but he was likea nobody, said Axel Lopez, one
of Rey's classmates.
Despite the evident mistreatmentof Rey's, which had been
corroborated by numerous otherstudents, Sparks Police Chief
(05:05):
Brian Allen said that it didn'trise to the level to merit
bullying charges.
Following the shooting, Lansburywas remembered in a memorial
service for his character andselfless acts in the military
and on the basketball court thatmorning.
The former Marine was describedas a devoted father, husband,
and teacher who made theultimate sacrifice in a bid to
(05:25):
save his students.
This tragedy is one we'll allstruggle to understand, said the
governor.
What is conclusive is hisselfless acts to give his life
so others might live.
By his actions, he has inspiredus all to do all we can for our
fellow man.
Pedro Martinez, superintendentof the Washoe County School
District, said that Lansburycould have taken his pick of any
(05:46):
school to work at, but that hechose one of the Reno area's
highest poverty middle schoolsbecause he felt as though those
children needed him the most.
Lanbury's friends spoke abouthis passion for Batman, Star
Wars, and video games, addingthat he humbled himself to
children and they flocked to himfor it.
He received full militaryhonors, including a 21-gun
(06:07):
salute.
In the wake of the shooting, itwas discovered that Jose had
left behind two suicide notes.
In one address to teachers andstudents, Jose expressed his
anger over his belief that hewas being embarrassed and
mistreated by his fellowclassmates.
He wrote that he had been calledgay, lazy, stupid, an idiot, and
that money has been stolen fromhim.
(06:27):
Well that all ends.
Today I will get revenge on thestudents and teachers for
ruining my life, he wrote.
He closed the note with adrawing of a tombstone which
read, Sparks Middle School1965-2013.
The second note was addressed tohis parents.
In those notes he wrote that theshooting was not because of the
(06:49):
shooting games, the bullying, orother stuff, but because some
bad things in the past happenedto me.
He elaborated, and now I'm justa monster.
If you hate me and my familydoesn't love me, it's okay.
I know that I'm just an idiot.
But I love you and I wish thepast would be good and better
someday.
Following the shooting, Jose'sparents said that the gun had
(07:10):
been kept in a closet above thefridge, and that they didn't
realize Jose had known about thegun.
Initially, police said that hisparents could be charged if they
knowingly made the gun availableto him.
However, Sparks Police ChiefBrian Allen later announced that
they wouldn't be pursuingcriminal charges.
Jose and Liliana Reyes donated$14,000 to an anti bullying
(07:31):
program in a partnership withthe school district.
They said that they wanted tomake Washu County schools safer.
We don't want anyone to gothrough what we went through,
said Jose Reyes SR, to the RenoGazette Journal.
It's been over a decade sincethe shooting at Sparks Middle
School.
The students who were there thatmorning have grown up.
Some have spoken out, othersprefer silence, but none of them
(07:54):
forget.
Michael Lansbury, the teacherwho stepped in front of a bullet
to protect his students, isremembered as a hero not just
for how he died, but for how helived.
A marine, a mentor, and someonewho believed in the promise of
every child, even the onestruggling.
The boy who brought the gun toschool will never grow up.
His name rarely gets mentionednot out of malice, but out of
(08:16):
heartbreak.
His story isn't one of evil,it's one of pain, of warning
signs missed, of a system thatdidn't know how to listen.
We want to believe these storiesare rare, that they're
unthinkable, but they keephappening in hallways and
classrooms across the country,and each time we ask the same
questions.
Each time we hope it's the last.
(08:36):
But hope is not a strategy, andsilence is not safe.
If there's anything to take fromsparks, it's this.
The signs were there.
The gaps were real, and thedamage to lives, to families, to
futures is immeasurable.
Thank you for joining us forthis episode of Human Wreckage.
If this story affected you, orif you or someone you know is
(08:57):
struggling, please check theresources in the show notes.
Help is out there, and it'snever too early to ask.
Until next time, take care ofeach other.
Take care of yourselves.
And remember behind everyheadline, there are lives
forever changed.
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