PONTIAC (WWJ) — As James and Jennifer Crumbley were sentenced Tuesday to 10-15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Oxford High School shooting, the families of the four slain victims spoke to the courtroom.
Buck Myre, father of 16-year-old victim Tate Myre, said the sentencing is “not a time to celebrate,” as the tragedy has taken “an incredible toll” on his family.
“So our family’s not gonna give the Crumbley family a second of our time up here,” he said during his impact statement.
Instead, Myre said, it’s time to turn the focus from “the low hanging fruit” that was the criminal proceedings for the Crumbleys to Oxford Community Schools, who he says “played a role in this tragedy.”
“We are ready for our government to perform an investigation on this tragedy. Many don't know that our government has not investigated this murder," Myre said. "A pre-shooting investigation, a day of the shooting investigation, and a deep dive investigation into the horrible response to this tragedy; the disrespect shown to us families.”
The school district has refused offers from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate the events that led up to the shooting.
Myre said he wants to see “the simple things” investigated, noting he didn’t feel Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard handled the sensitive situation properly with his family.
“Like trauma training for somebody like a Sheriff Bouchard, who we got to talk to on that day that we got to go identify Tate, and he referred to Tate as a girl....Because he was too busy that night working to cover up, cover it up, instead of learning about every kid: Tate, Hana, Justin and Madisyn,” Myre said Tuesday.
A lawsuit filed against the school in 2022 claimed a security guard at the school, who was formerly an Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy, thought the shooting was a drill. The lawsuit alleged she casually walked around the school, including walking past Myre's 16-year-old son, who she thought was wearing realistic makeup.
She also allegedly opened the bathroom door where Justin Shilling, Keegan Gregory and the shooter were in, but did not enter. Shilling was shot and killed a short time later.
“It’s time for the whole truth to come out,” Myre said at Tuesday’s sentencing. “It’s time to learn from this, from the purchase of the gun, to the response. That’s when real change happens, is when we can look at something and we can evaluate it and apply lessons learned. That’s when real change happens. Is Hana St. Juliana’s family ready for the truth? Justin Shilling’s family ready to hear the truth? (Madisyn) Baldwin’s family ready to hear the truth?”
"I never referred to Tate as a girl. I have had a picture of Tate on my office wall since the tragedy and have attend events for the “42 Strong” (Tate) foundation. These are people that are crushed and hurting, and they are lashing out and I understand that. I and our whole agency are here for them now and forever," Bouchard said in a statement to WWJ.
“Tate Myre’s family is ready to hear the truth. Quit denying us that. It’s time to drive real change from this tragedy,” he said.
In a statement read shortly before his sentencing, James Crumbley echoed Myre’s calls for more transparency and accountability for school administrators and officials.