The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Michigan authorities doubt the parents of the teenager accused of killing 4 students would turn themselves in

2021-12-05T13:40:07.029Z


The Crumbleys were taken into custody Saturday after a widespread manhunt at a building near downtown Detroit. The facts show that both appeared to be reluctant to turn themselves in, despite assurances from their legal team that they would.


By Dennis Romero -

NBC News

Michigan authorities are advancing a broad investigation into Tuesday's school shooting.

They have put a possible accomplice of the suspect's parents under the microscope and are analyzing the actions taken after school officials were warned about the allegedly disruptive behavior of the teenager.

Appearing on video Saturday morning, parents James and Jennifer Crumbley pleaded not guilty to four counts each of manslaughter, charges they allege indirectly contributed to the deaths of four teenagers Tuesday at Oxford High School, a about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Detroit.

[Bail of $ 1 million is set for parents of teenager accused of Michigan shooting]

In detailing the charges against the parents, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has pleaded guilty, saying the parents purchased the gun used in the shooting from the suspect and failed to act when school personnel warned them of disruptive behavior. .

"These two individuals could have prevented it,"

McDonald said during the couple's appearance on Saturday morning.

Shannon Smith, one of the two attorneys representing the Crumbleys, said during the court session: “Our clients are going to fight these charges.

They are just as devastated as everyone else, ”he declared.

The defense also argued in court on Saturday morning that the suspect did not have access to a weapon.

"That gun was locked," Crumbleys co-attorney Mariell Lehman said in court.

"So when the prosecution is claiming that this child had free access to a weapon, that is absolutely false," he added.

[The young man arrested for the shooting in Michigan recorded a video where he expresses his intention to kill his companions]

At a news conference Saturday, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the Crumbleys appeared reluctant to turn themselves in despite assurances from their legal team that they would.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald addresses the media at her office, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Pontiac, Michigan. Carlos Osorio / AP

With arrest warrants in hand, Bouchard said law enforcement began searching for the Crumbleys.

Officials were informed that the couple were not responding to text messages or phone calls from one of their attorneys.

The two were located in an art studio in a building near downtown Detroit late Friday after someone spotted their vehicle parked outside and contacted authorities.

"Were they really going to do it? I don't know."

The person who called to report the vehicle could receive an offer of up to $ 20,000 for information leading to the Crumbleys' arrest, Sheriff Owen Cypher explained at the news conference.

"When the tip came, the person was apparently outside smoking, and he practically fled," Bouchard said.

"Where they were and how they were seems to confirm that they were hiding, and they were not going to turn themselves in at that time," he said.

[The student who killed his classmates in a Michigan school shot more than 15 times]

Detroit Police Chief James E. White welcomed the crucial role played by his department, which was quick to establish a perimeter in an area near the Canadian border, in capturing the two.

When the duo were allegedly on the run, the couple's lawyers insisted they would be at a postponed appearance Saturday morning, which they did after being arrested.

After the attack in Michigan, more than 60 schools have had to close due to shooting threats

Dec. 3, 202100: 33

Were they really going to do it? Bouchard wondered.

"I do not know.

But considering they were hiding in a warehouse in Detroit, it makes me raise my eyebrows, "he added.

Authorities are investigating whether someone from Detroit helped the couple, with the prosecution ultimately weighing the charges, according to the sheriff.

[It was a Christmas present: four days before the Michigan shooting the suspect's parents bought him the gun]

"We think they were helped," he

said.

The Crumbleys and their son are being held in solitary confinement at the Oakland County Jail.

Four students were killed in the attack and have been identified as Hana St. Juliana, 14;

Madisyn Baldwin, 17;

Tate Myre, 16;

and Justin Shilling, 17. Seven others, including a teacher, were injured.

According to authorities, a day before the attack, a teacher raised the issue that the suspect was allegedly looking for ammunition on his mobile phone.

And on the day of the crime, the Crumbleys were summoned to speak to administrators after the teen allegedly created disturbing images that included a handgun, ammunition and the words "blood everywhere," McDonald said after the shooting.

[Students who survived the Michigan shooting say the shooter posed as a police officer]

The boy was not removed from the school, nor was he barred from the campus, he said, and the attack took place after that meeting.

Murder, terrorism charges levied on teenager who shot Oxford school

Dec. 2, 202102: 38

Bouchard suggested that the school should have notified authorities when the Crumbleys were summoned.

"At that time we would have liked to have been notified," he said.

The sheriff expressed concern for the students and law enforcement agencies who witnessed the violence and its immediate aftermath.

“There were about 18 shots that were not used.

It could have been 18 more children

,

said Bouchard.

[FBI investigates threats of shootings that forced dozens of schools to close in Michigan]

Oakland Community Schools superintendent Tim Throne said in a letter to the district's community Saturday that he has asked for a "third-party review" of the administrators' actions prior to the shooting.

But he appeared to defend his decision to keep the suspect, identified by authorities as 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, on campus.

“Since the boy had no prior disciplinary infractions, the decision was made to have him go back to class rather than send him home empty,” Throne explained.

Bouchard did not rule out including school officials in the investigation, but reiterated that possible charges are the responsibility of prosecutors.

“Everything that happened will be investigated.

Everything we find out will be turned over to our prosecutor for further charges, if applicable, ”said Bouchard.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-12-05

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.