DETROIT, Michigan, Dec. 4, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The parents of the teenager accused of killing four during a mass shooting at a Michigan high school have been arrested.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were taken into custody early Saturday morning after a tip led police to a Detroit area warehouse close to where their vehicle was found earlier in the night.
Detroit Police Chief James White told reporters during an early morning press conference the couple had assistance entering the warehouse and additional charges could be filed against a third person.
The couple was described as “distraught” during the arrest which came several hours after they were supposed to turn themselves into police.
Prosecutors pressed involuntary manslaughter charges against the Crumbleys Friday for their alleged role in the shooting at Oxford High School.
Their couple’s son, Ethan Crumbley, 15, is accused opening fire in the high school Tuesday morning shortly after he and his parents had met with school officials over his increasingly erratic behavior.
Investigators say the father allegedly purchased the murder weapon just days before the shooting, and his wife had taken part in target practice with her son last weekend.
When a teacher allegedly spotted the son looking at ammo online Monday, the school contacted the mother who police say did not respond, but instead sent a text to her son, writing: “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
The very next morning the parents and son met with school officials after a teacher found a note allegedly written by the 15-year-old. “The thoughts wont stop. Help me,” the note said. There was also a sketch of a bullet with the message, “Blood everywhere,” written above it.
The parents were told to seek psychological counseling for the boy within 48 hours, but refused to remove the teen from school. After the parents left, the teen was allowed to return to class. Instead, he walked into a bathroom and then came out shooting.
Prosecutors say the parents were in position to stop the attack, but failed to act, hence the decision to prefer the involuntary manslaughter charges.
Gephardt Daily will update the story as more information becomes available.
