By Corey Williams, AP
Two lawsuits seeking $100 million each have been filed against a Michigan school district, its superintendent, principal and others after four students were fatally shot and others wounded at Oxford High School, a lawyer announced Thursday.
The lawsuits were filed in federal court in Detroit, attorney Geoffrey Fieger said Thursday. They were filed on behalf of a student who was shot in the neck and wounded during the Nov. 30 shooting and her sister, who was next to her at the time of the shooting.
Named in the suits are the Oxford Community School District, Superintendent Timothy Throne, Oxford High School principal Steven Wolf, the dean of students, two counselors, two teachers and a staff member.
The Associated Press sent an email Thursday seeking comment from the district.
Ten students and a teacher were shot at the school in Oxford Township, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Detroit.
Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old sophomore at the school, was arrested at the school and has been charged as an adult with murder, terrorism and other crimes. His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, later were charged with involuntary manslaughter and arrested.
Personal-injury lawyers have expressed doubt that the school district could be successfully sued for letting Crumbley stay in school. That’s because Michigan law sets a high bar to wring liability out of public schools and other arms of government.
“You have to show that the administration or faculty members were grossly negligent, meaning they had a reckless disregard for whether an injury was likely to take place,” said attorney A. Vince Colella.
The gun used in the shooting was bought days before by James Crumbley and their son had full access to the gun used in the killings, prosecutors said.
The morning before the shooting school officials met with Ethan Crumbley and his parents after the school after a teacher found a drawing of a gun, a bullet and a person who appeared to have been shot, along with messages stating “My life is useless” and “The world is dead.”
The Crumbleys “flatly refused” to take their son home, Throne has said.
Good! Enough of the mindset “let’s just let him stay and hope he doesn’t snap” or “I don’t want to be the one to violate his rights”!! They don’t have a problem kicking kids out who don’t comply with the lib narrative!
Careful with that sentiment. It’s a slippery slope toward another extreme we may regret, in which every child who draws or expresses something that may not progress any further would be suspended/removed in a manner that would follow his/her student career indefinitely.
The 11-yr-old son of one of my good friends is rather immature. Very boyish and “behind the curve”. An emotional late bloomer who will very likely grow into a solid adult but is not currently at the level of growth of his peers. He recently drew some pictures of guns as well while in class, and though not with any malicious intent but as an extension of his newfound fascination with guns. A fascination that was considered “normal” only perhaps three generations ago when the Cowboy/Frontier was still fresh in America’s mind. Fortunately, my friend found the pictures instead of the school teacher, and – being a teacher himself – he had an immediate conversation with his son to try to explain the modern nuances of Leftist hatred of firearms, which he sensed his son didn’t understand.
This incident being the last straw to bring about a decision long in the making, the entire family is now in the process of moving out of their native California permanently, and is currently in escrow on a house located in a deep red state where the topic of guns is not verboten.
I myself remember drawing pictures of guns in school as a kid. Nobody thought ill of it back then, and no actions were taken. I turned out to be a pro-2A Sheepdog that anyone would want to have at their six in a moment of trouble. Granted, this was before the Age of Child-On-Child Shootings, but “zero tolerance” policies seldom work successfully.
As I’ve stated here on TTAG before, our society has cheapened its view of human life through an abandonment of belief in a Divine Creator, the willful and legal murder of babies yet unborn, and the argument for euthanasia. Is it any wonder the world concocted by the Left to indoctrinate children with these ideals is churning out some who have no regard for the lives of their fellow students?
The kid is still likely to get in trouble. Public education is rife with progtards, no matter where you are. But the community of normal people in a red state/region should be a little more likely to support you, so that’s something, at least.
EDIT:
I agree with other comments here that the school should have at least exercised its authority to search Ethan Crumbley’s backpack, in light of his parents’ refusal to properly address their son’s situation that day. My lengthy comment above was in response to Dennis Summer’s blanket statement, not the Crumbley shooting specifically.
Of course, this stupid story is complete bullshit. But whatever….
Same place you were on 1/6.
Haz, I tried to find a flaw in your argument, but I couldn’t. Well said.
I can see the dilemma… I remember when the kid chewed a poptart into the shape of a mountain and his ignorant childish immature teacher “saw” it as a gun and got the kid kicked out of school. That’s over the top harsh and stupid.The teacher with the twisted mind was the child in the room. SHE faced no consequences. He did.
On the other hand, I am certain if that was MY kid and we were all three in a gam with teachers and staff, and such things came to light, I’d have psed ONE question to my son sitting there, and who I knew had access to that handgun.
Son, WHERE is that handgun right now? If he had said something like “Dad its in the cabinet back home, where it always is when we’re not shotting with it”. OK, everyone else wait right here I’m gonna nip home and check that. If it is NOT there when I get back there will be some explaining to do. And I’d have not been bluffingl I’d have gone home and found it..MISSING, along with a cpoue spare mags and some ammo. Back to the scool. OK son, WHERE is that handgun?
I got the distinct impression from what I read of that dad that he’s not been much more than a sperm donor, and couldn’t care a fig for that son. Which is precisely WHY the kid is such a mess.
Not sure about what rises to the level of criminal liability, but there is no question those two faux adults have NOT done right by that boy. Now HE will be facing the music without the buffering of caring parents trying to raise their son to be a good citizen and member of society.
We shall see what goes down with their prosecution. I’d not make any book on how it will turn out.
I concur with you. I’d go so far as to call it a knifes edge we’re standing on, that can slip to either side of extremes.
I too drew a gun in school, as an art project (took 2nd place city wide too), but that was in a different time than what schools and kids face now. I’m glad your friend caught a totally innocent picture, and kept his son from a world of grief perpetrated by the school. What a sad, dysfunctional world we’re forces to live in. How anyone can call this progress eludes me.
To I haz a question
quote—————As I’ve stated here on TTAG before, our society has cheapened its view of human life through an abandonment of belief in a Divine Creator,———–quote
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup’s eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999
Take your bronze age mysticism and shove it. People like you are the pinnacle of hypocrisy and religious blasphemy.
quote———–the willful and legal murder of babies yet unborn, and the argument for euthanasia.————-quote
Anyone against euthanasia is a religious nut case that needs psychiatric care. To be able to die in dignity and not suffer needlessly is a human right. Again shove your ridiculous bronze age mysticism where the sun does not shine.
And as far as abortion you religious fanatics blaspheme your own religion because the majority of children adopted are white while minority children languish in orphanages or are rented out as foster children and constantly shifted to family after family. Let see some of you tight wad racists adopt all these unwanted children. You are constantly screaming you are too damn cheap to fund social programs but are against a woman’s right to choose what to do with her own body which is none of your damn business. Unwanted children are often neglected children who grow up to be tomorrows rapists, thieves, and mass murders. In other words the Far Right are always their own worst enemies. Yes the Far Right help to increase crime and endanger the people of the future with scares supplies of food to keep them healthy and alive.
Overpopulation in the world has reached the critical point and this has become far more serious suddenly because of global warming that is affecting an already scarce food supply. Rich nations have not felt this yet but millions of people in poor countries go to bed hungry every night. The worlds governments are already studying plans to feed people bugs and insects to give them enough protein to survive in the near future but nut cases lie yourself want to over populate the world with even more unwanted children.
I might add some of the worst murderous killers often came from religious nut case families proving your bullshit about the human race being saved by being more religious does not square with the facts.
They should be sued, they should be prosecuted criminally too as should the parents.
Why, after all they discovered, did they *not* search him and his backpack before he be allowed to enter the school again?
They deserve to lose that lawsuit, even if it means the local citizens will be on the hook for the hundreds of millions in payouts…
I think the only explanation for not doing more to prevent this shooting is because they want the body count higher to help their anti gun laws.
Creatures like Shannon Watts (Where are you, Dirk? 😉 ) get wet when they hear of a mass-casualty event, sadly… 🙁
.40 cal Booger,
I am pretty much the last person you will find who will ever suggest any level of leniency when it comes to violent crime. In this particular case I am inclined to be somewhat lenient on the spree-killer if it turns out that he is not pure evil. I only say that because a 15 year-old usually has no idea that resources are available to help when their mind goes to a dark place. And, in this case, you can argue that he was asking for help with his picture and captions which he apparently left visible to a teacher.
I am also inclined to see the parents and school district sued and held criminally liable as well since all of them saw how the student was hugely at-risk of harming himself and/or others.
Interesting question: as others have mentioned, if the prosecutor is going to charge the spree-killer as an adult, then how can his parents and the school have any direct civil or criminal liability?
“Interesting question: as others have mentioned, if the prosecutor is going to charge the spree-killer as an adult, then how can his parents and the school have any direct civil or criminal liability?”
This has been answered several times in the previous articles comments.
The prosecutor’s case against the shooter’s parents relies on the legal concept of “gross negligence.” Under Michigan law, to prove that a person committed involuntary manslaughter (what the parents are charged with), the prosecution must show that the person’s gross negligence caused the death of another. In the 2018 case of People v. Head, the Michigan Court of Appeals wrote, “To prove gross negligence, a prosecutor must show: (1) Knowledge of a situation requiring the exercise of ordinary care and diligence to avert injury to another. (2) Ability to avoid the resulting harm by ordinary care and diligence … . (3) The omission to use such care and diligence to avert the threatened danger.”
The parents bought a handgun for an underage kid (for possession) and allowed him unrestricted access to the handgun.
The parents knew their kid probably had a problem and needed help yet resisted removing him from the school, knowing he had access to a handgun the use of which was reflected in his drawings and knew he was trying to get ammo for the gun. A responsible rational person would have said “hey, wait a second, lets take a closer look at this.” But when the school tried to do that by wanting him removed to be evaluated the parents resisted but the school also did not do what they were suppose to do then.
There was ‘omission to use such care and diligence’ all over this.
The state also imposes legal responsibility on parents and legal guardians for the delinquent and criminal acts of minors in their charge.
The parents are being charged separately for, basically, their “gross negligence” – the kid is being charged separately for his active direct involvement – that’s how. The school officials involved should be charged too, they failed to ‘use such care and diligence’ as well because they did not follow procedure and contact the police to have the kid removed from school and take him for mental health evaluation.
A well-constructed reply, Forty. I have one question for you, though. You stated that the parents purchased the handgun for Ethan. Please provide links, as I’ve only yet read speculation regarding this charge. It appears that they certainly allowed (even if perhaps without their knowledge) for the gun to be in a state in which their son could access it, but saying they deliberately purchased it for him so he could have immediate possession requires supporting evidence.
I can’t find the link right now, I posted it in one of the other articles comments though I think. There was a statement from the prosecutor in which it was mentioned.
Understood. But prosecutors can say anything, whether true or not. I present the Rittenhouse trial for your consideration. 🙂
Sure, prosecutors can say anything but material facts are still material facts.
ok, I found it…
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/05/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-sunday/index.html
Karen McDonald is the Oakland County prosecutor
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/05/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-sunday/index.html
“Ethan Crumbley posted a picture of a gun on an Instagram account and captioned it, “Just got my new beauty today. SIG SAUER 9mm” with a heart-eyes emoji, McDonald said.
Jennifer Crumbley also posted about the gun on social media, calling it “his new Christmas present,” McDonald continued.”
They have the contents of the social media account. They are probably not going to lie here about a material fact. Mom Crumbley said it was “his new Christmas present,” when talking about her son and her son posting the picture of it.
Dad actually purchased the gun on Black Friday, mom was in agreement with it, it was Ethan Crumbley’s “Christmas present” The parents bought a handgun for an underage kid.
Well, you’re right. It appears the Crumbleys are well and screwed. Thx for the links.
The prosecutor has not rules out charges for school officials.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gbwGmju15lg
With this newly revealed information, it appears that the school and parents both knew that this kid had mayhem and destruction on his mind. After knowing this, and the parents doing nothing about it, including not locking the firearm away in a safe place, smells of gross negligence and complicity in the school shooting and resulting deaths/injuries that followed. In my mind, the school did what was necessary to alert the parents, while also have a sit down with them to discuss their sons obvious mental health issues. There needs to be a protocol established in all schools that when a student expresses any of these tendencies, there needs to be a mandatory suspension with a mandatory court ordered psychological evaluation done before a student should be allowed back in school.
Fit2Btyed,
This article fails to convey the gravity of the drawing and captions that the spree-killer created and his teacher found.
His drawing allegedly depicted a handgun shooting at least one person who ends up lying on the ground and bleeding profusely with the caption, “Blood everywhere.”
His other captions allegedly were:
— The thoughts won’t stop, help me.
— The world is dead.
— My life is useless.
His drawings and captions clearly indicated that he was in a VERY dark place mentally, was clearly an “at-risk” person, and needed immediate Psychological evaluation/intervention.
As is virtually always the case, in spite of blindingly-bright “red flags” and deafening “alarm bells” going off, the school failed to intervene. (Note: calling-in his parents, consulting with the parents and the student, and then sending everyone merrily on their way is NOT intervening.)
Charge the administration?
How deep should they go?
How deep? School staff who met with the student and parents and then did not try to send the student away for Psychological evaluation/intervention.
The teacher who saw the picture and yanked the student is not culpable because he/she yanked the student and reported “up the chain of command”. And the Superintendent is not civilly nor legally culpable if he was not involved until after the fact.
The Superintendent could be professionally culpable if he allowed or cultivated an environment where counselors and administrative staff were irresponsible and/or apathetic. If that is the case, then the School Board should fire him.
There was a protocol, the school did not follow it.
In Michigan; If a pupil exhibits a pattern of behavior that poses a substantial risk of creating an emergency situation, the school is suppose to enact an intervention plan that includes positive behavioral intervention and support, and for the care, safety, welfare, and security of the school community they may remove the student from the school. They are suppose to contact the police who are suppose to take the person into ‘protective custody’ and take them to be evaluated by mental health professionals.
With the nature of the things that raised alarms before the incident, caught searching online for ammo (something he can’t purchase online at his age or in most stores either), his drawings and writings, why wasn’t the LE Resource Officer present at the interviews with parents and child? The one individual that by law, could search the backpack and locker under probable cause/concern was not present at the meetings. That’s a serious misjudgement on the schools part IMO. That’s something that should be MANDATORY.
Too many school officials are more concerned about kids that chew a pop tart into a gun shape or if a kid has a BB gun in the background for remote learning camera setups. Things that don’t matter so much.
There is no desire to deal with real problems that are actually there. This school letting the kid back into class is the same thing as our Vice President running a fund to let criminals go from custody.
Too much of the wrong thing and not enough of the right thing.
If this little broken freak had used a kitchen knife, a car or a baseball bat to murder people, would the parents still be charged with Manslaughter??? You see this is slippery slope for parental criminal liability for their children’s crimes.
Michigan or any other state has ZERO laws that would make a parent liable for their children’s murders, unless they were part of a conspiracy to the murder itself (which has not be alleged) . These charges against the parents should have never been brought. Don’t like it, change the law, but don’t allow George Soros backed prosecutors to make up new laws, as they see fit.
If this is the new standard, perhaps we should go after the parents of street criminals and gang members. We could charge them with giving material support to terrorists, money laundering as they likely benefit from the crimes of their children financially and perhaps throw in conspiracy charges for good measure. Of course the people affected by this new standard would likely be disproportionately of certain protected class and the calls of persecution and racist would echo throughout the halls of power.
Be careful what you wish for.
So the taxpayers will bear the financial responsibility, and the mentally defective school administrators will have no accountability? This has to be a sick joke.
As long as there is no personal responsibility, there will be no reforms.
“As long as there is no personal responsibility, there will be no reforms.”
Hence, there will be no reform, since personal responsibility is a weakness, as far as they are concerned…
Pffffft. If you had any notion of personal responsibility, you wouldn’t be a fat, drunk 55 year old virgin living in a double wide you inherited from your mom.
Examine your life, and then make the changes you so desperately require.
Ralph,
I stated above that the Superintendent should be professionally culpable if he allowed or cultivated an environment where counselors and administrative staff were irresponsible and/or apathetic.
Along the same lines, school staff who should have and failed to initiate protective custody and a Psych. evaluation/intervention are also professionally culpable and should lose their jobs.
While simple job loss pales in comparison to a civil fine of $1,000,000 and three years in prison, job loss is nonetheless a significant penalty to pay. And you can easily imagine that professionally culpable staff have probably just lost their careers. That is almost on par with a $1,000,000 fine and three years in prison.
They never checked his backpack. That’s grossly negligent.
So sad !
If these lawsuits prevail, now they’ll infringe the 1st Amendment rights of students to draw artwork without being expelled.
Back in my day (showing my age!), we grew up watching WWII movies, so naturally our classroom doodles were filled with drawings of guns, bullets, and machine guns: soldiers shooting enemy soldiers, planes strafing soldiers, planes strafing PT boats, tanks strafing infantry, bazookas shooting tanks, PT boats, destroyers, etc.
Teachers never batted an eye at our doodles of blood and bullets (some of them quite graphic, complete with blood and screams from dying soldiers). Our artwork was limited only by our artistic ability, which in my case meant stick figures of soldiers, but my tanks and fighter planes were more accurate.
Today, if these lawsuits prevail, then students can be expelled for such doodles.
They would have expelled every boy in my 4th grade class! All the boys doodled WWII action, while the girls drew flowers and unicorns. But that was when boys were boys and girls were girls — nowadays we’re told that there is no difference between the sexes.
this is why the prosecutor rushed to charge the parents
to set the narrative
to get out in front of this story and the story about the sheriff saying that if the school would have included the school resource officer in the meetings like they were supposed to they would have gone in and removed all the guns from the house
Rash of Michigan school threats includes 9-year-olds’ alive-or-dead lists – 18 students have been charged in Wayne County alone
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/12/09/rash-of-michigan-school-threats-includes-9-year-olds-alive-or-dead-lists/#:~:text=A%20flurry%20of%20violent%20threats%20have%20been%20made,%E2%80%94%20two%20of%20them%20as%20young%20as%209.
“A flurry of violent threats have been made against schools in southeast Michigan since the shooting on Nov. 30 that killed four students at Oxford High School.
The threats have prompted lockdowns and school cancellations, and dozens of students face punishment — two of them as young as 9. … “
Blame, Blame, Blame! It’s the name of the game.
I could go on, as many have already (and much more eloquently I would add), but it still comes down to who pulled the trigger? That individual, adult or not, is responsible for the heinous acts. Did the parents and school contribute to this? Yes they did, by gross negligence on both sides.
You don’t buy a gun for an underage individual and allow them unsupervised and unfettered access to said gun.
You don’t pick up artwork of bleeding bodies and phrases like “I’m dead inside” or “dead to me” and not immediately call 911 and send said individual for a psych evaluation.
We can bicker about it all day, but if either of the two things I stated above had been done, Four people would be alive.
This is terrible news. It’s hard to imagine what kind of problems schoolchildren have after the recent pandemic. Many are finding it difficult to learn because they can’t get up to speed after a long distance-learning course. Students are advised to use the services https://studymoose.com/free-essays/the-great-migration with free essay samples even about great migration. It helps a lot to improve their knowledge and grades, as well as to get more free time.
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