Oxford High School officials may be charged for ignoring warning signs leading up to the deadly mass shooting allegedly committed by 15-year-old Ethan Crumbly, Oakland County, Michigan, prosecutor Karen McDonald told NBC.
When asked by NBC’s Today show if it is “possible school officials could face charges,” the prosecutor replied, “It’s possible, yes.”
McDonald has already charged Crumbley’s parents with involuntary manslaughter because “they ought to have known that their son was emotionally disturbed and ought to have prevented him from taking a handgun to school” as Breitbart News reported.
Ethan Crumbley, center, appears on a video arraignment at 52nd District Court in Rochester Hills, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Authorities say Crumbley, a 15-year-old sophomore, opened fire at Oxford High School, killing four students and wounding seven other people on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Speaking of what she deems as the parents’ involvement, McDonald said, “Any individual who had the opportunity to stop this tragedy should have done so. The question is what did they know and when did they know it. The notion that a parent could read those words and also have access to a deadly weapon that they gave him … it is criminal.”
The words she is referring to came from violently graphic pictures Crumbley allegedly drew with inscriptions like, “the thoughts won’t stop, help me,” “blood everywhere,” “my life is useless,” and “the world is dead.”
She indicated that similar levels of negligence for not noticing red flags from Crumbley may result in charges against administrators.
Though McDonald did not elaborate on her comment, it is possible she will be looking for other warning signs missed or not reported by school officials. In this vein, Oxford Community Schools Superintendent Tim Throne initiated a “third party investigation” into possible red flags from Crumbley leading up to the shooting, promising to “leave no stone unturned.” These and ostensibly other warning signs are the primary rationale for the rare move to bring charges against the parents of the alleged shooter.
Similarly, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel offered her office’s resources to aid in an investigation in a tweet responding to news of Throne’s investigation but did not specifically point to school administrators.
The 15-year-old alleged shooter has been charged as an adult with murder and terrorism. He and his parents are being held in the same jail, and all three remain on suicide watch. They have also all pleaded not guilty.
Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.