Prosecutor makes it official: We will not charge any Oxford school officials over shooting

One day after securing its guilty verdict against the Oxford school shooter's father, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office said it would not file any criminal charges against any school officials over their decisions before the 2021 massacre.

"Our office has reviewed all of the evidence in the case," Assistant Prosecutor David Williams said in a statement to the Free Press. "We did not find sufficient evidence to support criminal charges against any school district employees. We believe the Oxford community deserves full accountability, and we stand with the families in their pursuit of changes that would make that possible."

The statement came the day after a jury convicted James Crumbley on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, concluding his actions and inactions led to the deaths of four students murdered by his son in 2021. The shooter carried out the rampage using a gun that his father had purchased for him as an early Christmas present just four days before the shooting, though the defense has maintained the gun was not the teenager's to use as he wished.

Within an hour after the verdict was announced, the parents of the four students who died in the shooting lashed out at the school, stressing that Oxford High School officials should be held accountable for the series of events that led to the deaths of their children. The parents are plaintiffs in litigation against the school.

"It's time for the school to pony up," said Buck Myre, whose 16-year-old son Tate was killed in the shooting.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, asked after the verdict Thursday whether charges might be filed against school officials, said, "We want to hold everyone accountable.

“I’ve made a commitment to these parents and we’re going to keep it," she said. “I’m going to look at the facts and work with them to get the accountability they deserve.”

Friday's statement closed the door on charges.

While the parents are upset about many issues involving school officials' role in the shooting, among the controversial issues have been the actions of two school officials who met with the shooter and his parents in the hours before he carried out his rampage, and concluded he was no threat to the school.

Counselor Shawn Hopkins and Dean of Students Nicolas Ejak had pulled the shooter out of class after a teacher reported a disturbing drawing he had made on a math worksheet. It featured a gun, a human body bleeding, and the words, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me."

Multiple other red flags had also been raised about the shooter in the 24 hours before the shooting, including that he had been seen watching a video of a man gunning down people and researched bullets on his cellphone in class.

It was the violent drawing, however, that prompted the two school officials to call the teen's parents, who came to the school but went back to their jobs after a brief meeting in the counselor's office, vowing to get their help within 48 hours. Hopkins and Ejak concluded the boy was not a threat to the school and allowed him to return to class. They never searched his backpack or asked his parents whether he had access to a gun, though the parents did not disclose that, either.

Hopkins and Ejak both testified at the trials of James and Jennifer Crumbley, who was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter last month.

In closing arguments at Jennifer Crumbley's trial, McDonald noted that while she was not happy with the actions of school officials, the case was about the mother — not the school. And she urged the jury to convict the mother for her actions and inactions, which the jury did.

James and Jennifer Crumbley are the first parents in America to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting carried out by their child. They face up to 15 years in prison when both are sentenced on April 9.

Their son, Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the killings, pleaded guilty to his crimes and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prosecutor won't charge Oxford school officials in deadly shooting