[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A prosecutor has charged the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the Michigan school shooting suspect who allegedly killed four students and wounded seven others with a gun purchased by his dad days before, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter — and are currently missing.
In a press conference Friday, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced that James and Jennifer Crumbley are facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly giving their son access to a handgun and ignoring the obvious warning signs of violence from him. She expressed, per The New York Times:
“I am in no way saying that an active shooter situation should always result in a criminal prosecution against parents, but the facts of this case are so egregious. I’m angry as a mother, I’m angry as a prosecutor, I’m angry as a person that lives in this county, I’m angry. There were a lot of things that could have been so simple to prevent.”
Following the announcement, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard revealed to CNN that the couple never showed up for their arraignment scheduled at 4 p.m. and are currently considered fugitives. Bouchard said in a statement:
“The action of fleeing and ignoring their attorney certainly adds weight to the charges. They cannot run from their part in this tragedy.”
However, their lawyers claimed the pair only left town for the night for their safety and were not fleeing.
Hmm…
As you most likely heard, their son allegedly shot and killed four students — Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling — in the halls of Oxford High School on Tuesday. Seven others were seriously injured, including a teacher.
It is pretty rare for parents of a mass shooting suspect to be charged. But during the press conference, the prosecutor detailed the parents’ alleged roles that led to the shooting. As an early Christmas gift, the 15-year-old apparently accompanied his father in buying a semi-automatic 9-millimeter Sig Sauer handgun on November 26. Ethan and his mom later spent a day trying out the weapon, which was reportedly kept unlocked in the parents’ bedroom.
A day before the shooting, a teacher spotted the teen looking up ammunition online and reported it to school officials. NBC News reports that the school attempted to phone his mother about the situation but could not reach her. Instead of contacting the school back, she texted her son:
“LOL I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
WTF?!!
On the morning of the tragedy, McDonald said another teacher discovered an alarming note on Ethan’s desk that had drawings of a gun and a bleeding person who appeared to have been shot twice. Along with a laughing emoji, he wrote on the note:
“Blood everywhere”
“The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.”
The Crumbleys were immediately called into the school, where a counselor showed them the picture. However, their son had already altered the drawings and scratched out some of the images and words. School officials advised Ethan to get into counseling within 48 hours during the meeting. And instead of the parents removing him from school that day, he went back to class. They never asked or searched his bag to see if the gun was with him. McDonald expressed:
“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.”
When news outlets started reporting of a shooting at the high school, the mom reportedly texted her son at 1:22 p.m.:
“Ethan, don’t do it.”
Fifteen minutes later, the father realized the gun was missing and called 911 to report that Ethan may have been the shooter. He has since been charged as an adult with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commitment of a felony. An attorney for Ethan pleaded not guilty for him earlier this.
This tragedy could have been avoided…
We’re are keeping everyone impacted by the shooting in our thoughts during this time.
[Image via ABC News/YouTube]
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