Photo via jcrumbley/Facebook, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
December 3, 2021, 1:47 pm
The parents of Ethan Crumbley, the 15-year-old who killed four and seriously injured seven people during a mass shooting at the Oxford High School in Michigan, have been charged with four counts involuntary manslaughter each for failing to secure the gun used in the shooting. The teen reportedly obtained his father’s semi-automatic handgun, showing it off in Instagram posts says before the shooting, before taking it to school on Tuesday and murdering his classmates.
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There is some dispute as to whether the gun was meant to be a gift to Ethan or something his father bought for himself. Ethan’s Instagram posts claimed that the gun belonged to him, and the Daily Beast has reported that his mother’s own Instagram posts stated that the 9mm Sig Sauer handgun was an early Christmas present.
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“Mom & son day testing out his new Xmas present,” one of the now-deleted posts read.
Regardless, authorities have reported that the gun was kept in an unsecured drawer in the bedroom of Ethan’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley. Jennifer also failed to take action after it was reported to her by the school that Ethan was caught browsing online for ammunition on his phone at school.
“Lol, I’m not mad at you,” read a text message from Jennifer to her son. “You have to learn not to get caught.”
There is precedent in the state of Michigan for charging parents of underage mass shooters with involuntary manslaughter and other criminal offenses. According to Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts, one man near Flint was sentenced to two years in prison for this charge after a six-year-old living in his home took his gun to school and killed a classmate with it. Similar examples exist in multiple states.
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In addition to failing to secure the gun or acting when Ethan was caught looking for ammo, prosecutors are reporting that his parents were called to the school after teachers found disturbing drawings and notes on his desk. They included a drawing of a bleeding person who had been shot and a bullet with phrases such as “blood everywhere,” “my life is useless,” and “the world is dead.” Perhaps the most alarming was the drawing of a gun pointing at the words “the thoughts won’t stop, help me.”
School administrators wanted James and Jennifer to take Ethan home after ordering them to get him into counseling within 48 hours. They resisted, and Ethan was left at school while his parents returned home. All that time, the teen had the murder weapon in his backpack.
“James and Jennifer Crumbley resisted the idea of their son leaving the school at that time,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “Instead, James and Jennifer Crumbley left the high school without their son. He was returned to the high school.”
After the charges were announced, the local police had to dispatch a fugitive apprehension team because James and Jennifer had disappeared from their home without explanation. However, their lawyer, Shannon Smith, claims that they left town for their safety and intend to return for arraignment.
“They are returning to the area to be arraigned,” said Smith. “They are not fleeing from law enforcement despite recent comments in media reports.”
Notably, Smith is the attorney who represented former Olympic physician Larry Nassar, who was convicted of the sexual abuse of a horrific list of underage gymnasts after being accused by hundreds of individuals and is currently serving life in prison without parole.
*First Published: December 3, 2021, 1:47 pm
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