On November 30, 2021, at approximately 12:51 p.m., 15-year-old Ethan Robert Crumbley opened fire at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit. Carrying a 9 mm SIG Sauer semi‑automatic handgun which had been purchased days earlier by his father, Crumbley entered a classroom and began shooting indiscriminately. In a span of just minutes, he killed four students and wounded seven others, including a teacher. Following the attack, he surrendered to arriving officers without resisting.
Evidence presented during hearings made clear that the shooting was not impulsive. In his journal and internet searches, Crumbley had documented detailed plans for the attack, including how he would carry it out, interviews with himself afterward, and fantasies about violence. A teacher had spotted violent drawings depicting a bleeding figure and phrases like “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me” and “blood everywhere”, prompting a call to his parents. When summoned to the school, they declined to retrieve him immediately.
On the morning of the shooting, Crumbley’s parents had visited the school and were shown the drawings. They left without their son. Text messages from Ethan and other students confirmed that no search of his backpack was conducted, despite the presence of the handgun inside. When the police learned the gun was missing, his father called to report the weapon gone, hours after the shooting began.
In October 2022, Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 felony counts, including first‑degree premeditated murder and terrorism resulting in death. He was subsequently sentenced in December 2023 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus additional years.
In a landmark decision, Crumbley’s parents—James and Jennifer—became the first in U.S. history to be convicted criminally in connection with a child’s mass shooting. In early 2024, both were found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter for failing to secure access to the firearm and ignoring warning signs. They received sentences of 10 to 15 years in prison.
The Oxford High School shooting highlighted multiple, tragic systemic failures: missed warning signs, inadequate intervention by school staff, and parental inaction around firearm security. It also triggered national debates around parental responsibility, gun access for minors, and legal liability in the aftermath of school violence.
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Michigan Court of Appeals denies Oxford High School shooter’s appeal for resentencing
Parents of Oxford school shooter plan to appeal their manslaughter convictions
School shooter’s mom Jennifer Crumbley had ‘tainted’ trial, attorneys say in request to toss conviction
Jennifer and James Crumbley’s Convictions Upheld
Lawyer: Prosecution paid $100K to PR firms to ‘smear’ the Crumbleys
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