BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Families affected by Oxford school shooting win key decision

FILE - Jennifer Crumbley, left, and James Crumbley, right, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, a teenager accused of killing four students in a shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., appear in court for a preliminary examination on involuntary manslaughter charges in Rochester Hills, Mich., Feb. 8, 2022. Criminal investigations of parents and school employees are rare following a school shooting, experts say. But they appear to be gaining traction as communities demand accountability and new ways to prevent the violence. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

FILE – Jennifer Crumbley, left, and James Crumbley, right, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, a teenager accused of killing four students in a shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., appear in court for a preliminary examination on involuntary manslaughter charges in Rochester Hills, Mich., Feb. 8, 2022. Criminal investigations of parents and school employees are rare following a school shooting, experts say. But they appear to be gaining traction as communities demand accountability and new ways to prevent the violence. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

DETROIT (AP) — A group of families won a key court victory Friday in an effort to pin some responsibility on a Michigan school district for a shooting that left four students dead and seven others wounded in 2021.

The families can pursue claims that the Oxford district pushed Ethan Crumbley “closer to violent action” when officials threatened to contact child-welfare authorities unless his parents quickly put the teenager into counseling, a federal judge said.

The “allegations are sufficient to withstand dismissal,” though they would still need to be developed through deposition interviews and other evidence, said U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith, who dismissed other portions of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleging civil rights violations by the Oxford district is at an early stage. A similar but separate lawsuit in state court was dismissed in March based on governmental immunity.

“We’re one step closer to holding (Oxford) and its employees accountable and proving in court they could have prevented this nightmare,” attorney Ven Johnson said.

An email seeking comment on the judge’s decision was sent to the district.

Crumbley, 17, is awaiting sentencing for killing four students and wounding seven other people at Oxford High School in 2021. A teacher found that he had drawn violent images and messages on a math assignment earlier that day but was allowed to stay in school. He was 15 at the time.

Crumbley’s parents were summoned to a meeting about the drawing but didn’t take him home. His school backpack with a gun and ammunition was never inspected.

James and Jennifer Crumbley are facing charges of involuntary manslaughter. They’re not accused of knowing that Ethan would commit a school shooting. But prosecutors said they made a gun accessible to him at home and also failed to get him mental-health treatment.

© Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved

Northeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

66°F Sunny Feels like 66°
Wind
7 mph SW
Humidity
47%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
50°F A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Wind
6 mph N
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous