Oxford High School shooting close to home

Youth+and+community+members+bringing+flowers+and+praying+at+a+makeshift+memorial+at+Oxford+High+School+on+Dec.+2%2C+2021%2C+after+four+students+were+shot+dead+and+several+injured.+

(Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press/TNS)

Youth and community members bringing flowers and praying at a makeshift memorial at Oxford High School on Dec. 2, 2021, after four students were shot dead and several injured.

Sophia Latouche Camacho

Content Disclaimer: The following article discusses the school shooting at Oxford.   

 

On Nov. 30, 2021 at 12:51 pm, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley opened fire near one of Oxford High school’s bathrooms, killing four students: Justin Shilling, Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin and Hana St. Juliana.  Oxford High School is about 1 hour and 20 minutes away from Clague, in Oxford, Michigan. This has been the deadliest shooting in this country since 2018.

AAPS closed its own doors on Dec. 3 due to “reports of (potential) violent threats circulating on social media platforms,” as communicated by superintendent Jeanice Swift in an email to the district.

The following week on Dec. 15, Forsythe Middle School closed out of an “abundance of caution, due to developing reports emerging from a school incident,” as communicated by Swift. 

Schools in Michigan were closed many times in the following weeks after the Oxford shooting due to potential threats.

The investigators found two videos on the phone of Ethan Crumbley, where he talks about shooting and killing students at his school. A journal was found in his backpack where he detailedly wrote about his longing to the school and even murder students, and drawing pictures of students being shot, and that worried his teacher. 

Ethan Crumbley’s parents legally purchased the firearm less than a week before the shooting and gifted it to their son as a Christmas present. His parents were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Ethan Crumbley was charged with four counts of first degree murder, sevencounts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possesion of a firearm during the commision of a felony.

This type of repeated event is why schools do safety drills, so that if these events happen, students are able to know what to do. At Ann Arbor Public Schools, we use the ALICE method, which stands for Alert, to spread the word about what is happening, Lockdown, to secure the area by locking doors and barricading, Inform, keeping staff and students updated on where the intruder is, Counter, remind students that they are not being asked to do whatever they are doing, it is a responsibility for their own safety, and Evacuate, to leave the building safely.

 If anyone ever sees or hears anything they identify as alarming behavior, they are able to report it to the website Ok2Say. It is available 24/7 where anyone can anonymously reach out about anything that might cause harm to students or staff in the future. 

 

Bibliography

Elamroussi, A., & Prokupecz, S. (2021, December 2). Investigators reveal concerns about behavior of the Michigan High School shooting suspect leading up to the tragedy. CNN. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/02/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-thursday/index.html. 

Burke, M., & Madani, D. (2021, December 1). 3 killed, 8 injured in shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. NBCNews.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/multiple-people-injured-shooting-oxford-high-school-michigan-officials-rcna7128. 

Williams, C., & White, E. (2021, December 2). Charges weighed for Michigan shooting suspect’s parents. ABC News. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/michigan-teen-charged-oxford-high-school-shooting-81510623. 

“AAPSGradeInst_FAQ.Pdf.” Google Drive, Google drive.google.com/file/d/0B8iA2v35yru-TkhaWjF1dG1LcVE/view?resourcekey=0-OjFlZ5fuu30USaiQSM_UOw.