The Signs Weren’t Missed, They Were Ignored

As has been the case with so many other school shootings over several years, last week’s murder spree at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit might have been avoided if actions had been taken in the face of several obvious warning signs.

Ethan CrumbleyThe 15-year old is being charged with four murders and seven woundings with intent to death of fellow students. He was also charged with terroristic activities.

There were a series of signs leading up to this tragedy — as there usually are — that should have alerted people that Crumbley was a serious threat.

His disciplinary record was not good. He was wrongly behaving on the morning of the shooting and was brought to school. Officials took this incident much more seriously than the previous. His parents were called as well.

Karen McDonald, Oakland Prosecutor CNN there is a “strong possibility” Crumbley had the gun used in the killings in his backpack when he met with school officials and his parents. It was not strange, or even suspicious that Crumbley brought the backpack to school with him instead of leaving it behind in his classroom locker. Why didn’t someone ask him to open the backpack and check its contents?

Crumbley’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have been charged with four counts each of homicide and involuntary manslaughter. James Crumbley purchased the gun Ethan was charged with using and then gave it to him. What would make a father do this? Why was it not secured properly so that the gun could not be taken to school, without permission from his parents, and especially not with parental supervision? Was Ethan asking for his father’s purchase? Which reason was he giving? James Crumbley asked him why. A father would not give a gun for a son who has had disciplinary issues in the past.

A bizarre twist: Daily Mail reported Jennifer Crumbley wrote then president-elect Donald Trump in November 2016, thanking him for his support of the right to bear arms and describing her son’s struggles in school. She added that as a realtor she is grateful for the right to carry a gun because it “(allows) me to be protected if I show a home to someone with bad intentions.”

In a search of Ethan Crumbley’s cellphone, police found detailed descriptions of his wish to kill classmates. Police say that Ethan Crumbley also kept a diary and posted on social media his excitement at having a gun purchased by his dad. Did no one else — classmates, administrators or parents — see or know about any of this? What if they knew, then why wasn’t this reported to authorities. How many times must we hear “if you see something, say something” before someone says something? We must wonder why nobody spoke up after all these years.

At his arraignment, Crumbley’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea. Ethan has not been reported to be speaking to investigators.

This is an unfortunate commentary about the current times that more police officers are outside schools, churches and other public places. Are metal detectors coming? It is not fair for parents to be worried that the first day of sending their child to school might be the last.

Although the events that took place at Oxford High School were a horrible tragedy, it is possible to overcome evil if we are proactive in our thinking. It’s sad to think in these terms, but potentially much sadder and intolerable if we don’t.