OXFORD (WWJ) — As the three-year anniversary of the deadly Oxford High School shooting nears, families of victims and survivors are continuing their calls for transparency and accountability.
The parents and families of the four students killed — Madisyn Baldwin, Justin Shilling, Tate Myre and Hana St. Juliana — and some survivors of the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting held a press conference Monday in Oxford to again call on Attorney General Dana Nessel for a thorough investigation by the state.
The families say they’re still frustrated by the lack of accountability and transparency from not only the school district locally, but the state legislature, the governor’s office and AG. They say there has not been a proper investigation into the events that led up to the deadly school shooting.
Aside from the criminal investigations that landed the shooter and his parents in prison, only one investigation by the company Guidepost Solutions has been conducted. However, roughly two-thirds of school staff refused to cooperate in that investigation, including two officials who met with the Crumbley family the morning of the shooting.
The parents say the goal of an investigation run by state officials would be to find any possible wrongdoings leading up to the shooting in order to create “a blueprint” to prevent future tragedies.
“Our goal here today is not about blame or retribution, it’s about change,” said Trent Myre, the eldest brother of Tate. “Change that only comes from transparency and accountability. We are calling on the state to undertake a full, thorough investigation, not just for the families impacted, but for every family, every student and every school across Michigan and the country.”
Myre said a state investigation “should not be a choice — it’s a duty,” noting public officials are “sworn to protect and serve us, the people.”
“Yet we continue to see no action. The answers and insights we gain here can and will drive the preventative measures for the future so no community has to go through what ours has. The state must step up and do what it should’ve done three years ago. We deserve answers and we demand action right now,” he said.
“Everybody keeps saying, ‘oh, hasn’t an investigation been done?’ Well, the short answer is no. There’s been pieces of investigations done by different organizations, etc. But there’s nothing cohesive, there’s nothing that looks at everything,” Steve St. Juliana, the father of 14-year-old Hana, told WWJ Newsradio 950’s Jon Hewett Monday.
In response to the families' press conference, Nessel held a press conference of her own to address the concerns brought up on Monday. She noted her department will only join in or take the lead over a criminal investigation or prosecution after local authorities have provided a referral and asked them to.
"To this day, let me make it clear, neither the Oakland County Sheriff's Office or the Prosecutor's Office has ever asked us to ever take part in a criminal investigation into what took place in Oxford,” Nessel said.
Nessel added that if the Prosecutor and Sheriff's offices aren't authorized to subpoena certain people involved on the day of the shooting -- her office wouldn't have that authority either.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard released the following statement:
“As we have said from the beginning, we are more than willing to participate in any state review or investigation. I told the victims of this tragedy I would support any effort that would answer all questions they have. If the attorney general would like access to our investigative reports or our people, I will happily provide them. Our hope is that this would be a whole of government systemic review which includes mental health, school and public safety entities to see if there are lessons we can learn to prevent such tragedies rather than responding to them.”
Last week an Oakland County judge cleared the way for a possible payout by the Oxford School District to the victims of the November 2021 shooting.
Former Oxford student Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty in 2023 to first degree murder, terrorism and other charges for the mass shooting that left four students dead and six more students and a teacher wounded.
Crumbley, 15 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to life in prison, without a chance for parole, though his legal team reportedly wants to appeal.
Separately, Crumbley's parents were both convicted of involuntary manslaughter, after prosecutors argued they ignored their son's mental health struggles, and instead bought him a 9mm handgun.