John Romano, who served time in prison for a school shooting, has been posting about his past on TikTok. But many believe his reintegration into society should not be so public.
Romano, who posts on TikTok as @jonseekingpeace, shot and wounded a teacher at his high school, Columbia High School, in upstate New York in 2004, when he was 16 years old.
He was tackled and arrested by the school's vice principal and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Romano is now posting on TikTok “after becoming part of the problem,” as his TikTok profile explains. That's because he feels it's time for him to “be part of the solution.” As of publication, Romano has approximately 255,000 followers on his TikTok.
In a video telling his story, Romano talks about what led him to bring a shotgun to his high school, the work he's done in prison to focus on mental health, and speaking out about school shootings and gun violence. He talked about how he started raising the number. After the Parkland shooting. After his release from prison, he spoke with police and local schools about how to prevent school shootings.
“I needed to be part of the change [that] It didn’t come,” Romano said on TikTok about gun violence in America. “I don't want people to pity me. I don't want people to forgive me.”
And Romano doubled down on his message when a commenter asked why he chose TikTok as a medium to spread his message.
“I'm talking to some people here… [about the] The confused thinking I had leading up to the shooting,” Romano said in the video. “We believe we can intervene with people who are walking down a dark path and help them navigate a better, healthier path.”
@jonseekingpeace Sharing my unique insights to prevent future tragedies #momsdemandaction #marchforourlives #reform #truecrimetok #jonromano ♬ Original song – Jon Romano
He also said his goal was not to atone for what he had done, but to prevent further school shootings.
But for some, his presence on TikTok seems like a “redemptive arc.”
TikToker @alyssaphobium posted about a video about Romano being the victim of a knife attack by a homeless person known as the “White Devil.” @alyssaphobium argues that Romano shouldn't be appearing on TikTok or storytelling his crimes to monetize or gain attention.
“This school shooter was able to amass over 250,000 followers on an app made for kids,” she said on TikTok. “Your relief after a school shooting incident” [is] Instead of bragging about how you've become a better person, do it silently. ”
Similarly, TikToker @julesbonss called Romano's presence on TikTok insidious, dystopian, and an example of white privilege. She also said Romano's video shows extremists who want to shoot up schools, and online fame could give them a “light at the end of the tunnel.”
“You could go far enough around the world to have 255,000 people following you and liking your posts,” @julesbonss said, adding that Romano is among the other school shooters. It shows what is being communicated. “You're going to get a following… It's made up of people who are going to give you some level of support in one way or another.”
The TikToker also said Romano, who is white, was released from prison while many people of color spend their lives in prison “based on some bullshit idea about drugs.”
According to a 2023 Pew Research study, Black people spend longer in prison than white or Hispanic people. According to a 2017 study by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, “Black male offenders continue to receive longer sentences than similarly situated white male offenders.”
“This is not how we decide to function as a society,” says @julesbonss.
In response to the backlash, Romano participated in a TikTok Live earlier this week with Aunt Karen, a TikToker who regularly calls out racism on the app and online.
Aunt Karen, whose real name is Dennis Bradley, said Romano “is being given a reprieve.” [TikTok] “For no reason.” “This app is just profiting from the fact that a school shooter served 17 years in prison.”
“You have been advertising [the knife attack Romano was a victim of]” Bradley says of Romano's TikTok. “And we don't really talk about this issue.”
He also responded to the Daily Dot's request for comment with a statement about the criticism he has received for building a platform on his past.
“I considered whether I could help more people than be hurt by speaking publicly. Because I know that sharing my story hurts people, but… Because I believe I’m helping,” Romano told Daily Dot. “Despite the backlash I am currently receiving, which I completely understand, I still have many people thanking me for the work I do.”
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*First published: October 4, 2023, 1:24 PM CDT
Tricia Crimmins
Tricia Crimmins is an IRL staff writer at the Daily Dot. She is a New York-based comedian and adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, she contributed to Mashable, Complex Networks, and Moment magazines. You can find her on Twitter @TriciaCrimmins.
