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Michigan School Shooting Suspect Identified After Fourth Student Dies
The 15-year-old alleged shooter is being charged as an adult after killing four classmates, and wounding six others and a teacher.
A fourth person has died in the wake of a mass shooting at a Michigan high school, and charges have pressed against the 15-year-old suspect.
Oakland County deputies arrested a 15-year-old sophomore shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday after he allegedly opened fire on students and staff at the Oxford High School of Oxford Township. Ethan Crumbley was charged on Wednesday as an adult with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts assault with intent to murder.
Three students, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre and 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin, were immediately killed in the attack while eight others were wounded.
On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office announced that one of the students wounded, 17-year-old Justin Shilling, had succumbed to his injuries.
Six other students and one teacher were injured in the attack, as reported by CNN. Among the wounded were a 14-year-girl, who was placed on a ventilator following surgery, and a 14-year-old boy who sustained gunshot wounds to the jaw and head.
Following the sounds of gunfire and screaming, warnings came from the school’s loudspeaker.
“We grabbed calculators, we grabbed scissors just in case the shooter got in and we had to attack them,” high school senior Aiden Page told CNN.
Page provided photos from inside a classroom, where witnesses piled chairs and desks to barricade the shooter from entering. A bullet hole can be seen through the door.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said authorities collected two 15-round magazines and a 9mm Sig Sauer SP2022 semiautomatic pistol from the scene, according to CNN. There were seven rounds of ammunition in the weapon, and more than 30 shell casings recovered.
“We believe he fired at least 30 shots,” said Sheriff Bouchard.
According to CNN, the suspect's father purchased the weapon on Black Friday.
A TikTok user by the name of shwifty766 posted a video from inside a Oxford High classroom during the shooting with the caption, “All prayers out for Oxford high school and to all my classmates.”
In the video, students can be seen hiding in the corner of the classroom furthest from the door, many of them hunkered down under desks, as a voice is heard from outside the classroom’s door saying, “Sheriff’s office — it’s safe to come out.”
“We’re not willing to take that risk now,” someone said from inside the classroom.
The person outside the classroom invited those inside to come to the door to look at his badge — but used the word “bro,” making the terrorized students deeply suspicious. A moment later, the footage captures students as they climb through a window into an interior courtyard and flee to another building, where law enforcement officers tell them they are safe.
Students and faculty at the school were previously subjected to active shooter drills, Oxford High freshman Mark Kluska told CNN. Kluska was in the same room where the TikTok user captured the escape from the classroom, describing how their teacher, Moises Cortez, sprung into action after an announcement about the attack.
“He shut the door and put, like, a metal doorstopper so no one would be able to kick in the door,” said Kluska. “After he turned off the lights, he told us to get to the corner because this might not be a drill, and he wants to be safe.”
As previously reported, deputies arrested the suspect, now identified as Crumbley, without incident within minutes of their arrival. His parents visited the teenager while he was in custody on Tuesday and advised him not to speak to authorities.
Crumbley is currently being held at the Oakland County Children’s Village and is under suicide watch, according to CNN.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard made a statement Wednesday morning after returning from the crime scene.
“As I reflect on the day, it is one that is filled with overwhelming sadness,” said Bouchard. “My heart aches for families that will never be the same and a quiet, sweet community that had its innocence shattered.”
On Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addressed the victims and the Oxford community after announcing the lowering of flags across Michigan state.
“Yesterday was every student’s, teacher’s, and parent’s worst nightmare. The death of multiple students and the shooting of others, including a teacher, at Oxford High School is horrific,” said Whitmer. “This is a time for Michiganders to come together for the Oxford community. We have to wrap our arms around this town that’s going through unimaginable pain and heartbreak.”
