Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to terrorism and first-degree murder charges (Photo: The Daily Beast)
A Michigan judge ruled that the Oxford school district and its employees cannot be sued in connection with the Crumbley Mass Shooting, in which then-15-year-old gunman Ethan Crumbley killed four students and injured seven others.
In an order issued Friday, Oakland County Circuit Judge Mary Ellen Brennan dismissed Oxford Community Schools from civil lawsuits from the Crumbley Mass Shooting, arguing that the district and more than a half-dozen high school employees are immune from liability under the law.
Survivors and families of the deceased filed several lawsuits accusing the district and staff of negligence, gross negligence, and violations of the Child Protection Law, among other things.
According to ABC News, Crumbley allegedly demonstrated “concerning behavior that indicated psychiatric distress, suicidal or homicidal tendencies, and the possibility of child abuse and neglect” for months.
READ ALSO: 9 Minors Were Injured After A Mass Shooting At Gas Station In Georgia
According to The Washington Post, the civil lawsuit now names Ethan Crumbley and his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, as defendants.
Detroit-based attorney Ven Johnson said in a statement, announcing that he plans to appeal Brennan’s ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals, “On behalf of our Oxford clients, we are deeply saddened and disappointed by Judge Brennan’s dismissal today of all the Oxford Community Schools defendants.” He added, “We maintain that governmental immunity is wrong and unconstitutional, and the law should be changed immediately.”
Ethan Crumbley, now 16, pleaded guilty to terrorism and first-degree murder charges in October.
Authorities say he opened fire on other teenagers in the school hallway about 30 miles north of Detroit on November 30, 2021, with a semi-automatic handgun. Tate Myre, 16, Hana St. Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17, were the four students who were killed in the Crumbley Mass Shooting.
Prosecutors have stated that they will seek a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Meanwhile, Jennifer and James Crumbley have pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter each.
Authorities say the parents were summoned to the school on the morning of the shooting but refused to take their son home after a 13-minute meeting. They were advised to seek teen counseling after a teacher observed Crumbley looking at ammunition on his phone in class the day before. The parents were also questioned about the teen’s drawings, which included a handgun and the words “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.”
The Oakland County sheriff and prosecutor Karen McDonald both chastised the school district for failing to notify a school resource officer about their concerns about Crumbley and for failing to search the teen’s backpack before allowing him to return to class three hours before the shooting.
McDonald charged the parents with failing to keep the gun used in the shooting secure at home and to provide reasonable care for their son when he displayed signs of mental distress. The Michigan Supreme Court directed the state appeals court to hear the couple’s appeal.
When pleading guilty over the Crumbley Mass Shooting, Ethan admitted that his parents used his money to purchase the gun, which was kept in an unlocked safe at their home.
READ ALSO: Florida Mass Shooting Left 11 Injured, 2 Men Charged With The Crimes
