OXFORD, Mich. (WWJ) -- Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old sophomore at Oxford High School, walked out of a bathroom and opened fire in the hallway Tuesday afternoon, killing four classmates and injuring eight other people, including a teacher.
Investigators are still searching for answers as to why the teenager felt the need to bring a gun to school and unleash the violence that left a community in mourning.
Some on social media have speculated the teen may have been bullied -- often a common thread in school shootings across the country. But shortly before Crumbley was arraigned on Wednesday, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told reporters his department has found no indication that Crumbley was ever bullied.
Bouchard noted, however, that investigators are still going through what he called "a mountain of evidence."
“But I will say again: there is nothing that he could have faced that would warrant senseless, absolutely brutal violence on other kids,” Bouchard said.
The sheriff also said he has asked school officials whether they had any records of Crumbley being bullied, “and the coordinator of anti-bullying programs has no information that he had been bullied by anyone."
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Speaking live on WWJ Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Marc Zimmerman -- co-director of the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention and co-principal investigator of the National Center for School Safety -- says bullying is a big problem in schools.
About 20% of kids in the U.S. report being bullied at school, according to Zimmerman.
“That includes cyber bullying or in-person, psychological and physical bullying,” he said. “So we need to create opportunities for kids to stand up for each other and to not have that be an acceptable behavior in the schools.”
Zimmerman tells WWJ anonymous reporting systems, such as “OK 2 Say,” can be beneficial in preventing violence in schools.
Bouchard told reporters students -- and anyone in the public, for that matter -- should report any bullying, anyone who may be suicidal or shows signs of disturbing or threatening behavior to authorities.
"If they see something that may cross into any of those realms, it needs to be shared so we can figure it out if it’s a threat and where to get help," Bouchard said.
While investigators search for a motive, Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Willis revealed during Crumbley’s arraignment that investigators discovered video -- apparently made the night before the rampage -- on the teen’s phone showing him discussing killing students.
Authorities also recovered a journal from the teen’s backpack with similar messages.
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