On Tuesday, Nov. 30, 15-year-old Eathan Crumbley brought a gun into his school and fatally shot four of his classmates in Oxford Township, Michigan. This event itself is chilling, though the events leading up to it make the situation much eerier. The day before the shooting, Ethan Crumbley’s parents were brought into the school to discuss some suspicious behavior that had been displayed by Ethan. A teacher had caught him looking at pictures of ammunition on his phone during school hours and called the meeting. The parent dismissed it, saying that shooting sports were a family hobby, and later texted Ethan saying, “LOL I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
The morning of the shooting, the same teacher alerted the guidance counselor of threatening drawings and written statements by Ethan. This led to the Crumbley parents, James and Jennifer, having to come into the school again. They immediately dismissed the behavior and left their son at the school. Ethan Crumbley then proceeded to shoot the 9mm handgun that was purchased for him just four days earlier during his school’s passing period. Other students caught disturbing videos of Crumbley pretending to be a police officer to lure students out of classrooms. He was recorded saying, “come to the door and look at my badge, bro,” in an effort to take more victims during the shooting. Luckily, the use of the slang word “bro” tipped the student off that something was not right, and that they needed to get out of the room.
Four lives were taken before Crumbley was eventually apprehended by police. Both Ethan and his parents spent the night separately in the Oakland County jail. The next morning, James and Jennifer were charged with involuntary manslaughter and pleaded not guilty. Ethan was charged with 24 counts, including terrorism causing death and four counts of murder in the first degree. He pleaded not guilty.
The day after the parents were charged, they failed to show up for their arraignment and allegedly fled town. This sparked a manhunt for the two, and they were eventually found due to someone witnessing them leaving their car on Friday, Dec. 3. They fled to a warehouse and were found locked in a room. After their arrests, the judge set their bond at $500,000 each.
This tragedy is sparking a cry for gun control throughout the nation—referencing the haphazard treatment of the murder weapon by the Crumbley parents. The gun that was used was an early Christmas present to the 15-year-old and kept in a drawer, unlocked. Angry citizens of the U.S. are demanding that a systematic change in the way that weapons are so easily accessed. Self-proclaimed gun control advocate and a junior at Fordham University, Grace Ayres commented on the situation. “The NRA, the gun lobby and militaristic corporations are preventing gun control in this country because of the hold they have on the legislative body. They’re prioritizing their profits over people’s lives, which is a very common trope in our oligarchy resembling society,” said Ayres. She is not alone in this sentiment, as many young people have taken to social media and other outlets to proclaim their sadness and anger about the situation.
Rest in peace to Madisyn Baldwin, Justin Shilling, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana.