4 Dead in Oxford (Mich.) High School Shooting
Police say the suspect used his father’s semi-automatic handgun that he had just purchased four days prior.
Image via Adobe, by fergregory
OXFORD, Mich. — A male suspect is in custody after allegedly fatally shooting four people and injuring seven others at Oxford High School Tuesday afternoon.
The four individuals who died have been identified as Tate Myre, 16, Hana St. Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17, reports USA Today. Myre died in a patrol car as a deputy rushed him to a hospital and Shilling died Wednesday morning.
The others who were injured, including a 47-year-old teacher, were all taken to a local hospital. Two students are in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the chest or head, four others remain hospitalized, and the teacher was discharged after being treated.
Calls about an active shooter at the school came in just before 1 p.m., reports WXYZ, and the attack lasted about five minutes. Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said dispatchers received more than 100 calls.
The suspect has been identified as 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, a sophomore at the school. He was charged as an adult on Wednesday with terrorism, murder and other counts, reports CNN.
A police liaison on campus was one of the people who helped apprehend the student. The suspect was not injured during the ordeal and is believed to have worked alone, reports the Detroit Free Press.
Authorities say the suspect used his father’s semi-automatic handgun that he had just purchased four days before the shooting. The teen appeared to post images of the gun online days before the shooting, according to Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Undersheriff Michael McCabe said they are investigating rumors that there were warning signs, according to USA Today. The Detroit Free Press is also reporting that some students and parents had heard rumors before Tuesday that there would be an incident on campus.
Parent Robin Redding told the Associated Press that her son, who is a senior, was not in school because he feared something could happen.
“He just said that ‘Ma, I don’t feel comfortable. None of the kids that we go to school with are going today,'” she said.
CNN is also reporting that two teachers had separately reported concerning behavior by the suspect and that the school had held two meetings with him, including one with his parents shortly before the mass shooting.
Police said they believe at least 12 shots were fired, and surveillance video showed the suspect coming out of a bathroom with the gun.
Students told WXYZ that during the attack they heard “ALICE lockdown” repeatedly over the campus public address system. ALICE stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.”
“My heart breaks for the students, teachers, staff, and families of Oxford High School,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a statement. “The death of multiple students and the shooting of many others, including a teacher, is horrific. I want to thank the first responders on the ground working hard to keep people safe as law enforcement officials investigate this shooting and get the community the help it needs right now.”
After the attack, students were evacuated from the campus to a nearby parking lot where they were reunited with their families, reports Detroit News. McCabe praised the school for doing “everything right.”
Authorities are in the process of trying to determine the suspect’s motive for the mass shooting. It’s not clear if he targeted his victims.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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