Oxford School Shooter Parents In Custody After Foot Race, Discovered Hiding In Commercial Building

On November 30, 15-year-old alleged shooter Ethan Crumbley was charged in the attack on Oxford High School, which killed four students and wounded eight others.

On December 3, prosecutor Karen McDonald revealed that his parents, James Crumbley and JenniferCrumbley, would each be charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. During yesterday’s press conference, McDonald revealed the series of events that led to the charges.

In one example, a teacher reportedly witnessed Ethan looking up ammunition on his phone during class and reported it to officials. Calls and emails to his parents went unanswered; however, Jennifer allegedly exchanged text messages with her son regarding the incident, including one that read “LOL I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”

Both parents were called into school the morning of the shooting regarding an “alarming” drawing that a teacher took a picture of to present to school officials. Ethan had reportedly drawn a stick figure of a person bleeding between a drawing of a gun and a bullet.

His parents were notified that they had 48 hours to get their son in counseling; however, they “resisted” bringing Ethan home with them that day, and he was allowed to return to class.

As The Blast previously reported, neither Crumbley parent showed up for their arraignment at 4 p.m. on Friday, December 3. The U.S. Marshals Service announced that they had “adopted the case of the search for James and Jennifer Crumbley.” The FBI, the Oakland County Sherriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team, and other law enforcement officials joined in the search.

The U.S. Marshals Service issued wanted posters of the couple and offered rewards of up to $10,000 dollars for information that could lead to their arrest.

In a press release from Oakland County undersheriff Michael McCabe, the couple was referred to as fugitives, even though a statement from the couple’s attorneys, lawyers Shannon Smith and MariellLehman, said that they had left town “for their own safety.”

The attorneys did not comment on reports that the couple had been spotted walking into a bank on Friday and withdrew four thousand dollars from their account for undisclosed reasons.

According to NBC News, the Crumbleys are now in custody after a business owner called 911 to report that their vehicle was located in his parking lot. The couple had apparently abandoned the car and fled on foot, according to reports.

The couple was discovered allegedly hiding inside a nearby commercial building. Detroit Police Department Chief James E. White explained that someone had let them inside the building they were hiding in.

“That person could be charged,” he said.

Both parents were taken into custody “without incident,” although he mentioned that “they certainly appeared to be distressed.”

New reports reveal that the couple will be taken to the Oakland County jail for processing and could be arraigned on Saturday morning. According to Michigan law, an involuntary manslaughter charge can be pursued if there is evidence that someone contributed to a person’s harm or death.

If convicted, James and Jennifer Crumbley could each face up to 15 years in prison.