DOWN DETROIT. LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5 30 STARTS NOW. OXFORD DESCRIBED AS CLOSE KNIT, BUT THERE’S
SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON HERE IN
THE WAKE OF THE OXFORD HIGH
SCHOOL SHOOTING SHOOTING HAS
DIVIDED THIS ENTIRE TOWN.
THERE’S A LOT OF FIGHTING A LOT
OF DIFFERENCES OF OPINIONS. IS
THERE A RIGHT WAY TO RECOVER?
ARE SOME PARENTS BEING JUDGED
FOR TRYING TO TAKE ACTION
TONIGHT? PARENTS OF A SHOOTING
VICTIM, BREAK THEIR SILENCE AND
OPEN UP ABOUT THEIR SON’S
RECOVERY. BEING SHOT. WATSON’S
HAVE KEPT FAIRLY QUIET ABOUT
THEIR SON, AIDAN AND HIS
STRUGGLE TO RECOVER AFTER BEING
SHOT AT OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL LAST
NOVEMBER. TONIGHT THEY ARE
GIVING US A RARE GLIMPSE INSIDE
THEIR FAMILY TO SHOW WHAT
THEY’RE DEALING WITH. AND IT HAS
TAKEN MONTHS FOR THE WATSONS TO
COME FORWARD. THEIR PRIORITY HAS
BEEN THEIR SONS HEALING AFTER
BEING SHOT TONIGHT. THEY WANT TO
SHARE THIS BUMPY, TROUBLING,
OVERWHELMING ROAD TO RECOVERY AS
THEY GIVE US A RARE LOOK INSIDE
AIDEN’S LIFE AFTER THAT BULLET
TORE THROUGH HIS LEG AND WHAT
ELSE HAPPENED INSIDE THEIR SMALL
TOWN THEY NEVER EXPECTED. OXFORD
MICHIGAN, WITH ITS CHARMING
VIBES, PEOPLE MOVE HERE FOR THE
HEART OF THIS COMMUNITY. THIS
WAS OUR MAYBERRY. THIS WAS
EVERYTHING WE WANTED FOR LINDA
AND JARED WATSON. OXFORD WAS A
DREAM COME TRUE. UNTIL IT WASN’T
WAS SHOT IN THE HALLWAY AND RAN
BACK INTO HIS CLASSROOMS. FRIEND
LOOKED AT HIM AND SAID EIGHT AND
YOU’VE BEEN SHOT. WE’VE GOT TO
GET OUT OF HERE. AND WHILE THIS
WAS HAPPENING, AIDAN’S CALLING
ME WHILE HE’S RUNNING. BLEEDING.
SCHOOL IS ABOUT TO RETURN, THE
WATSONS HAD DECIDED TO SHARE
THEIR STORY IN HOPES OF BRINGING
CHANGE ACCOUNTABILITY AND A
BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE
SCARS THESE STUDENTS SHARE. I’M
GLAD THAT WE’RE DOING THIS
BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD FROM
PEOPLE. OH, THAT’S NOT OVER YET.
I THOUGHT HE WAS HEALED. OR.
WELL, HE ONLY GOT SHOT IN THE
LEG. AFTER 50 STRAIGHT DAYS OF
BLEEDING, COUNTLESS DOCTORS AND
PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENTS,
AIDEN IS MAKING PROGRESS BUT HAS
MANY LIMITATIONS, HIS FIRST
DOCTOR SAID. WELL, HE DID GET
SHOT. HE MIGHT HAVE TO DEAL WITH
THIS PAIN FOR THE REST OF HIS
LIFE. THESE DAYS, YOU CAN FIND
THE 15 YEAR OLD ON LAKE
NICHOLSON IN OXFORD. HE LIKES TO
FISH FOR BASS AND BLUEGILL,
FINDING COMFORT IN THE QUIET.
IT’S JUST PEACE. THERE’S NO
NOISE. THERE’S NO WORRIES. IT’S
HARD ON LEVELS YOU CAN’T EVEN
COMPREHEND. YOU CAN BE AT A SWIM
, MEET AND SEE SOMEONE WHO LOOKS
LIKE THE SHOOTER AND YOU START
TO SHAKE AND CRY AND STARTS TO
KIND OF HAVE OUR SHORTNESS OF
BREATH AND HE’S LIKE I JUST NEED
TO GET OUT OF HERE. ONE MINUTE
HE’S OKAY. LOUD NOISES. WATCH A
MOVIE THE NEXT HE’S HEARING
GUNFIRE. THAT’S NOT THERE. HEY,
DAD. WHEN I GO BACK TO SCHOOL,
I’M GOING TO ALWAYS BE LOOKING
AROUND. THIS IS NEVER GOING TO
HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN. I WON’T BE
SURPRISED. WHAT KIDS HAVE TO SAY
THAT ABOUT SCHOOL. AIDAN’S
SIBLINGS CALEB AND ANNABELLE,
HAVE BECOME SECOND PARENTS FOR
THEIR LITTLE BROTHER. HE DIDN’T
WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE SO THEY
WOULD GO WITH HIM. TWO DIFFERENT
THINGS. UM TO YOUTH GROUP. TO
WHEN HE WANTED TO GO, MAYBE SEE
A FRIEND. IT INSISTS HER ALSO
SAT IN CLASS WITH HIM THIS
SPRING WHEN HE WAS WILLING TO GO
TO SCHOOL AND THE DEAL WAS SHE
WAS THERE SHE HAD A CAR, SO
WHETHER OR NOT IT FELT DANGEROUS
TO HIM, HE NEEDED THAT QUICK
ESCAPE WHILE AIDEN WORKS ON HIS
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL RECOVERY.
HIS PARENTS, LINDA AND JARED,
ARE DEALING WITH SOMETHING
TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. DIVISION IN
OXFORD. IT’S NOT ALL PARENTS
AGREE AND WHAT SHOULD CHANGE AT
OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL. THERE’S A
LOT OF FIGHTING A LOT OF
DIFFERENCES OF OPINIONS, AND WE
UNDERSTAND THAT. I KNOW PEOPLE
EXPERIENCED THIS TRAUMA IN
MULTIPLE WAYS, AND EVERYBODY HAS
A DIFFERENT WAY OF HEALING. ARE
YOU TREATED DIFFERENTLY? WE HAVE
BEEN TREATED DIFFERENTLY. IT
FEELS LIKE WE’RE IN THE
MINORITY. UM. WE DON’T KNOW
WHERE WE FIT OR IF YOU HAVE AN
OPINION, YOU SAY SOMETHING.
WHILE THEY DIDN’T DO THIS,
RIGHT, WELL, THEY DID EVERYTHING
THEY COULD DO. THAT’S YOUR
PERSPECTIVE. YOUR KIDS HOME YOUR
KIDS SAFE, RIGHT? YOUR KID
DIDN’T CALL YOU AND SAY, MOM,
HELP ME! I’VE BEEN SHOT. AND
THEN JARED ARE STILL SO
FRUSTRATED WITH THE SCHOOL. THEY
REALLY WANT THAT THIRD PARTY
INVESTIGATION ALSO WANT
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR STAFF THAT
DEALT WITH THE SHOOTER AND THEN
SENT HIM BACK TO CLASS. HE WAS
ONLY SHOT. THAT’S A VERY, VERY
STRANGE STUFF. I’M REALLY
CURIOUS, THOUGH, ABOUT HIS
THOUGHTS NOW ABOUT GOING BACK TO
SCHOOL AND WANTS TO GO BACK. BUT
OBVIOUSLY THERE’S SO MUCH STRESS
THERE BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE’S
THE BUS. THERE’S CROWDS. THERE’S
PEOPLE. THERE’S NOISES HE’S
GOING TO ATTEMPT SCHOOL STARTS
NEXT WEEK. HE DOESN’T KNOW IF
HE’S GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH
THE WHOLE WEEK. MEANTIME HE’S OF
WHAT HE IS NOT ABLE TO DO
EVERYTHING HE WANTS TO DO. HE
WAS IN MARCHING BAND, BUT HE
CAN’T STAND THAT LONG. HIS LEGS
ARE TOO WEAK, SO HE WANTS TO TRY
SOMETHING EXTRACURRICULAR. HE
DOESN’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT BUT
AUGUST 25TH IS THE FIRST DAY
BACK, AND THERE’S SO MUCH MORE
THAT PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THAT
THESE KIDS ARE DEALING. THAT’S
WHY I’M SO GLAD THAT THE PARENTS
TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS. THIS IS
A WHOLE DIFFERENT PIECE THAT WE
REALLY HAVE NOT TALKED ABOUT
VERY MUCH. IT WAS HARD. I’VE
BEEN TEXTING WITH LINDA TODAY
GOING. HOW ARE YOU DOING? I’M