OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – A 15-year-old boy was charged Wednesday with murder, terrorism and other charges in a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured others at Michigan’s Oxford High School.
The charges against Ethan Crumbley were announced Wednesday, a few hours after authorities reported the death of a fourth teenager from the school in southeastern Michigan. Crumbley is charged as an adult with one count of terrorism resulting in death, four counts of first degree murder, and seven counts of assault with intent to murder.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald did not reveal a possible motive for the shooting Tuesday at Oxford High School, located in a community of about 22,000 people about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Detroit. However, he said prosecutors are “sure” they can show that the crime was premeditated.
“There is a mountain of digital evidence. Videotape, social media, all possible digital evidence, ”he said.
Officers rushed to the school at lunchtime and arrested the suspect in a hallway within minutes. He put his hands in the air as deputies approached, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Tuesday night at a news conference.
The boy’s father bought the 9mm Sig Sauer used in the shooting on Friday, Bouchard said. He did not know why the man bought the semi-automatic pistol, of which his son had been posting photos and practicing shooting, Bouchard said.
The four students who died were identified as 16-year-old Tate Myre, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling, who died Wednesday.
Bouchard said Myre died on patrol when an officer tried to take him to an emergency room.
A teacher who received a scratch on his shoulder was released from the hospital, but seven students between the ages of 14 and 17 remained hospitalized overnight with gunshot wounds, he said.
The gun the boy was carrying had seven more rounds of ammunition when he surrendered, Bouchard said.
Sheriff Mike McCabe said the student’s parents advised their son not to speak to investigators. Police should request permission from the minor’s parents or guardians to speak with them, he added.
After the attack, authorities learned of posts on social media about threats of a school shooting of approximately 1,700 students. The sheriff emphasized how crucial it is that these tips be forwarded to authorities, while also warning against spreading rumors on social media before a full investigation.
McCabe downplayed the significance of a situation in early November when a deer head was thrown from the roof of the school, which he said “had no connection” to the shooting. The incident prompted school administrators to post two letters to parents on the school website, saying they were responding to rumors of a threat against the school but had not found one.
Bouchard said the student in custody in the shooting had no prior clashes with his department and was not aware of any disciplinary history at the school.
“That is part of our investigation to determine what happened prior to this event and if any signals were missed, how they were missed and why,” he said.
The district said in a statement that all schools would be closed for the rest of the week.
Isabel Flores, a 15-year-old freshman, told Detroit television station WJBK that she and other students heard gunshots and saw another student bleeding from the face. They then ran from the area around the back of the school, he said.
A concerned mother, Robin Redding, said her son, Treshan Bryant, 12, stayed home Tuesday after hearing threats of a possible shooting.
“This can’t just be random,” he said.
Bryant said he had heard vague threats “for a long time” about plans for a shooting.
At a vigil Tuesday night at LakePoint Community Church, Leeann Dersa held back tears as she hugged friends and neighbors. Dersa has spent most of her 73 years at Oxford. His grandchildren attended high school.
“Something terrible scared us all. It’s horrible, ”Dersa said of the shooting.
Pastor Jesse Holt said news of the shooting flooded him and his wife, including text messages from some of the 20 to 25 students who are among the 400-member congregation.
Reference-toronto.citynews.ca