Arkansas Online

Teen charged in school shooting

Boy’s parents called hours before gunfire that left four dead

COREY WILLIAMS AND ED WHITE Information for this article was contributed by Ryan Kryska, Mike Householder, David Aguilar, Kathleen Foody, Josh Boak and Rhonda Shafner of The Associated Press.

OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 15-year-old boy was charged with murder and terrorism in connection with a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured others at a Michigan high school, authorities said Wednesday, revealing that his parents were summoned just a few hours before the bloodshed.

No motive was offered by Oakland County authorities a day after violence at Oxford High School, roughly 30 miles north of Detroit. But prosecutor Karen McDonald said the shooting was premeditated, based on a “mountain of digital evidence” collected by police.

“This was not just an impulsive act,” McDonald said.

Indeed, sheriff’s Lt. Tim Willis told a judge that Ethan Crumbley recorded a video the night before the violence in which he discussed killing students.

Crumbley was charged as an adult with murder, attempted murder, terrorism causing death and gun crimes.

During his arraignment, he replied, “Yes, I do,” when asked if he understood the charges. Defense attorney Scott Kozak entered an innocent plea.

“He deliberately brought the handgun that day with the intent to murder as many students as he could,” assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said in successfully arguing for no bail and a transfer to jail from a juvenile facility.

Earlier, Sheriff Mike Bouchard told reporters that Crumbley’s parents were called Tuesday to the school “for behavior in the classroom that was concerning.” The teen remained in school, and the shooting occurred a few hours later.

Bouchard didn’t offer details about what had troubled school officials. He said investigators believe the gun was already in the school.

Crumbley entered a bathroom with a backpack and came out holding a semi-automatic handgun, firing at students while moving down the hallway, Keast said in court.

The four students who were killed were identified as 16-year-old Tate Myre, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.

“There is nothing that he could have faced that would warrant senseless, absolutely brutal violence on other kids,” the sheriff said.

Deputies rushed around lunchtime Tuesday to the school and arrested Crumbley in a hallway within minutes of the shooting. His father bought the 9 mm Sig Sauer gun last week, according to the sheriff.

McDonald said charges were being considered against the parents.

“Owning a gun means securing it properly and locking it and keeping the ammunition separate,” she said.

The shooting should be a wake-up call for new gun laws in a country that has become “desensitized to school shootings,” McDonald told reporters.

“We have to do better,” the prosecutor said without offering specific changes. “How many times does this have to happen? How many times?”

She said the terrorism charge also fits.

“What about all the children who ran, screaming, hiding under desks? … Those are victims, too, and so are their families and so is the community,” McDonald said.

After the attack, authorities learned of social media posts about threats of a shooting at the roughly 1,700-student school. The sheriff stressed how crucial it is for such tips to be sent to authorities, while also cautioning against spreading social media rumors before a full investigation.

Isabel Flores, a 15-yearold ninth-grader, told Detroit television station WJBK that she and other students heard gunshots and saw another student bleeding from the face. They then ran from the area through the rear of the school, she said.

A concerned parent, Robin Redding, said her son, 12th-grader Treshan Bryant, stayed home Tuesday after hearing threats of a possible shooting.

“This couldn’t be just random,” she said.

Bryant said he had heard vague threats “for a long time now” about plans for a shooting.

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2021-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

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