OXFORD, MI – Oxford school officials asked a judge to dismiss federal charges against the district after Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to fatally shooting four students in the deadly Oxford school shooting, according to court documents.
School officials said in the motion that district employees were protected by state immunities and that school staff were unaware that Crumbley was a threat to other students.
“There is no evidence that EC (Ethan Crumbley) had a known long history of disciplinary problems, problems with other students, threatening behavior or violence towards others,” said Timothy Mullins, Oxford Schools defense attorney.
Find out what’s happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free real-time patch updates.
The motion comes as the county faces numerous lawsuits accusing school officials of ignoring troubling warning signs leading up to the deadly shooting and failing to stop the deadly attack on Nov. 30, 2021.
Attorney Ven Johnson also added an Oxford high school security guard to his lawsuit against the district, who claimed she had a chance to prevent the boy’s bathroom shooting, but closed the door and walked away without her body camera activated .
Find out what’s happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free real-time patch updates.
Four students – Hana St Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin – were killed in the shooting when authorities said sophomore Ethan Crumbley opened fire.
Government agencies and their employees are generally not responsible for their negligent acts when they occur in the performance of their governmental function or employment under Michigan law.
Oxford School officials also came under fire for refusing a free third-party review from Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office, opting instead to hire two independent law firms to investigate the events leading up to the deadly outcry at Oxford high school led.
Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 counts, including four counts of first degree murder and terrorism. He was taken to the Oakland County Jail while awaiting a sentencing date.
Crumbley’s parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting. They are each being held in the Oakland County Jail on $500,000 bail.
The couple’s trial was scheduled to begin in January 2023, but the Michigan Supreme Court temporarily stayed the trial to allow an appellate court to ensure there is valid cause to try the couple for involuntary manslaughter.
Get more local news straight to your inbox. Sign up for free patch newsletters and alerts.
To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to [email protected].
