OXFORD TWP. (WWJ) The Oakland County Prosecutor says "it's possible" that Oxford school officials could face charges in connection with last Tuesday's massacre that left four students dead and seven others wounded.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who on Friday announced charges against alleged shooter Ethan Crumbley's parents, said "a lot could have been done different" by the school on Nov. 30: the day of the shooting and the same day Crumbley's parents were called to the school for an emergency meeting.
"I mean at that meeting he was allowed to go back to school," McDonald said, criticism school officials during an interview Monday on ABC's “Good Morning America.”
“We know that he either had that weapon with him or someplace where he could have stored it in the school. But he had it in the school, there’s no question," McDonald told GMA.
"And leaving the decision to parents about whether he goes home or not..." she added, trailing off.
Asked Monday on NBC’s “Today” show if it was “possible that school officials could face charges,” McDonald said, “It’s possible, yes.”
In a letter released Saturday, the school district says a third party investigation is now underway into what led up to the deadly shooting; including about exactly who knew what and when.
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The letter, from Oxford School Superintendent Tim Throne, said the purpose of the review is so the community and families get "a full and transparent account" of what happened.
The letter confirms that the suspect, a 15-year-old sophomore at Oxford, was called to the office for an emergency meeting after a teacher saw a drawing he made of guns, blood and a person getting shot, along with concerning written statements, including. "The thoughts won't stop, help me," and," Blood everywhere." Throne said Crumbley claimed the drawings were part of a "video game" he was working on, telling counselors he was planned to pursue video game design as a career.
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The school states that over the next hour-and-a-half before the teen's parents arrived at the school, counselors didn't see anything that led them to believe the teen might harm others, that he "appeared calm."
According to the letter, Crumbley's parents "never advised" the school district that the boy had access to a gun or that they had recently purchased a firearm for him. What the letter does not say is whether the councilor asked about firearms in the home. Counseling was recommended for the teen within 48 hours, or else councilors would call Child Protective Service.
When the parents were asked to take their son home for the day, the school said the Crumbleys "flatly refused."
"In addition, despite media reports, whether or not the gun was in his
backpack has not been confirmed by law enforcement to our knowledge nor by our investigation at this time," Throne contends.
Just a few hours later, more than a hundred 911 calls came pouring in to Oakland County dispatch as gunfire rang at the school.
McDonald was asked about her claim that the gun Crumbley allegedly used to shoot up the school was kept in his home unlocked. "In combination with mom's social media posts, his social media posts, the gun was (the teen's) and he had free access to it," she told GMA.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Crumbley was found by deputies in a hallway. A loaded pistol was taken from his hands, the sheriff said, and the teen was arrested.
Ethan Crumbley remans held without bond, charged as an adult with murder, attempted murder, terrorism and gun charges. His parents, who were found in the basement of a warehouse in Detroit early Saturday, are facing four counts each of involuntary manslaughter.
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