The parents of a teen accused of going on a killing rampage at a Michigan high school were charged on Friday. The prosecutor said the parents knew of their son's disturbing warning signs. The prosecutor claimed the parents committed "egregious" mistakes, which ultimately enabled the teen to purportedly murder four Oxford High School students.
Parents Jennifer and James Crumbley were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison.
"Under Michigan law, an involuntary manslaughter charge can be pursued if prosecutors believe someone contributed to a situation where harm or death was high," NBC News reported.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said the parents committed "egregious" acts and their actions went "far beyond negligence."
According to WMAQ-TV, "McDonald said the parents 'were the only individuals in the position to know the access to weapons.' She said the gun used in the shootings 'seems to have been just freely available to that individual.'"
During a Friday press conference, McDonald said, "These charges are intended to hold the individuals who contributed to this tragedy accountable and also send the message that gun owners have a responsibility. When they fail to uphold that responsibility, there are serious and criminal consequences."
On Nov. 26, James Crumbley allegedly purchased a 9mm Sig Sauer SP 2022 – the firearm reportedly used in the shooting. A store employee at the gun store in Oxford confirmed to authorities that the shooter was with his father at the time of the purchase, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The prosecutor said on the same day that the gun was purchased, the 15-year-old posted photos of the handgun with the caption: "Just got my new beauty today." The next day, Jennifer Crumbley posted on social media with the caption: "Mom and son day testing out his new Christmas present."
The day before the shooting, a teacher at Oxford High School noticed the teen searching for ammunition on his cell phone during class. She reported that information to school officials, according to McDonald. School officials attempted to contact the boy's mother over the phone and by email.
McDonald said Jennifer Crumbley joked about him getting caught and texted her son, "LOL, I'm not mad at you, you have to learn not to get caught."
The night before the shooting, the suspect made a video "wherein he talked about shooting and killing students the next day at Oxford High School," according to Lt. Tim Willis of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
On the day of the shooting, McDonald said the teen's teacher noticed him doodling a gun pointing at the words: "The thoughts won't stop, help me." He also purportedly drew a bullet and a person who appeared to be shot with the words "blood everywhere." The high school sophomore also wrote, "My life is useless," and "The world is dead."
The boy was taken out of the classroom and brought to an office in the school. The boy's parents were summoned to the school and met with school officials around 10 a.m., according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
During the meeting, James and Jennifer Crumbley were allegedly shown the drawing, which had been altered by that time. School administrators told the parents to get their son into counseling with 48 hours, according to the prosecutor.
"Both James and Jennifer Crumbley failed to ask if their son had his gun with him or where his gun was located and failed to inspect his backpack for the presence of the gun, which he had with him," McDonald said. "The notion that a parent could read those words and also know their son had access to a deadly weapon, that they gave him, is unconscionable and I think it's criminal."
The parents allegedly left the school without their son — who returned to class.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Marc Keast said surveillance cameras show the suspect entering a school bathroom "just before 12:51 p.m." with a backpack.
"A minute or two later, he exited the same bathroom without the backpack, but with a gun in hand," Keast said. "At that point, he methodically and deliberately walked down a hallway, aiming the firearm at students and firing."
McDonald said that once news broke that there was an active shooter at Oxford High School, Jennifer Crumbley texted her son at 1:22 p.m.: "Don't do it."
At 1:37 p.m., James Crumbley reportedly called 911 to report that his gun was missing from his house, and he believed that his son could be the school shooter.
McDonald said the gun had been stored in an unlocked drawer in the parents' bedroom.
Lt. Willis said a journal was recovered from the suspect's backpack "detailing his desire to shoot up a school to include murdering students."
The teen is accused of killing four students — Hana St. Juliana (14), Tate Myre (16), Madisyn Baldwin (17), and Justin Shilling (17). Seven others were injured during the mass shooting – three were in stable condition at hospitals at the time of this article.
The suspect was charged as an adult with two dozen crimes, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, gun crimes, and terrorism. He could face up to life in prison, if convicted.
The Oxford High School mass killing suspect may have had a gun on him during a meeting with his parents and school administrators on the day he allegedly took the lives of some of his school peers.
The district superintendent maintains at the time of this reporting that the student's troubling disciplinary history did not warrant discipline at the time of the meeting.
The suspect would then soon allegedly go on to shoot at least 11 people, with four killed at the time of this reporting.
Authorities said that the 15-year-old suspect — who is being tried as a adult and who faces terrorism charges in addition to murder and assault — may have had a gun in his backpack during a Monday meeting with administrators to discuss his deteriorating behavior.
At that point, however, no disciplinary action was warranted — at least according to the school superintendent.
"No discipline was warranted," Tim Throne, superintendent of the Oxford Community Schools district, said in a Thursday statement. "Yes, this student did have contact with our front office. And yes, his parents were on campus Nov. 30."
CNN reported Friday that Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said that there's a "strong possibility" that the teen had a gun — which he reportedly used in the mass killing — during the morning meeting.
"During COVID, they don't use lockers, so they just have backpacks," she reasoned. "Unfortunately, he was allowed to get back to class, and we now know that he had a weapon with him at that time, and that is simply tragic."
The teen's parents could also face charges related to the shooting. Earlier this week, McDonald said that the gun the teen is believed to have used was purchased by his father on Black Friday.
"We know that owning a gun means securing it properly and locking it and keeping the ammunition separate and not allowing access to other individuals, particularly minors," McDonald said according to a report from the Detroit Free Press. "We have to hold individuals accountable who don't do that."
The teen suspect, if convicted on all charges, faces possible life in prison.
He has pleaded not guilty on all charges.
The 15-year-old school shooting suspect accused of killing at least four of his fellow students at a Michigan high school will be tried as an adult and faces murder, assault, and weapons charges in addition to one count of terrorism causing death, according to a Wednesday CNN report.
Seven other people were injured and wounded during the attack, which took place on Tuesday.
A subject opened fire in a school hallway on Tuesday, shooting at least 30 rounds at those in the hallway and through classroom doors.
During a Wednesday arraignment, the suspect pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Marc Keast said that the suspect emerged from a school bathroom and began firing on people in the hallway. He reportedly continued strolling the hallway at a "methodical pace" and continued the attack for at least another five minutes.
The suspect surrendered when deputies arrived on the scene.
Administrators previously flagged the student for “behavior in the classroom that they felt was concerning,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said during a Wednesday press briefing
Bouchard also announced in the briefing that the teen's parents were at the school earlier on the morning of the attack to discuss their son's concerning behavior.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald told the outlet that the teen now faces the terrorism charge in addition to murder and other charges related to the attack.
According to CNN, Michigan law defines an act of terrorism as a "willful and deliberate act that is all of the following," listing "an act that would be a violent felony under the laws of this state, whether or not committed in this state," "an act that the person knows or has reason to know is dangerous to human life," and "an act that is intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or influence or affect the conduct of government or a unit of government through intimidation or coercion."
"There is no playbook about how to prosecute a school shooting and candidly, I wish I'd never even had — it didn't occur so I wouldn't have to consider it, but when we sat down, I wanted to make sure all of the victims were represented in the charges that we filed against this individual," McDonald said. "If that's not terrorism, I don't know what is."
McDonald added that there is a great deal of digital evidence in the case — some of which ended up making its way onto social media.
"But you probably don't even need to see that to know how terrifying it is to be in close proximity of another student shooting and killing fellow students. I mean, it's terror," she explained. "Like every other child that was in that building, and I address that about the terrorism charge, we must have an appropriate consequence that speaks for the victims that were not killed or injured but also, they were affected, how do they go back to school?"
On Wednesday, McDonald added that she is considering bringing charges against the teen's parents.
Bouchard confirmed that the gun the teen is believed to have used was purchased by his father on Black Friday.
"We know that owning a gun means securing it properly and locking it and keeping the ammunition separate and not allowing access to other individuals, particularly minors," McDonald said according to the Detroit Free Press. "We have to hold individuals accountable who don't do that."
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also told the outlet that state laws can impose parental accountability when minor children are involved in violent crimes.
"Theoretically, if you had a case where you had a teenager who had demonstrated some sort of instability, mentally or suicidal or homicidal thoughts or actions, or anything to that extent, and in addition to that you still allowed this child to have unfettered access to a weapon, then theoretically I don't think it would be a huge stretch to charge the parents with involuntary manslaughter under those circumstances," Nessel explained.
I held my breath when details of the 14-year-old alleged Georgia school shooter’s home life began unfolding in the news. I was not surprised when I learned his parents were divorcing — a red flag for boys. And Colt Gray struggled under the pressure. He’d recently changed schools and lived with his dad while his mom had custody […]
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