On November 30, 2021, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley carried out a shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan which proved to be Michigan’s deadliest school shooting, killing four students in the bloodbath. It was later revealed that the firearm used was gifted to Ethan Crumbley by his parents. Although he has pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree murder, and has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, the tragedy remains at the forefront of the world and the media’s attention as the case could make history. Ethan Crumbley’s mother, Jennifer, is now facing a maximum of 15 years in prison for four counts of involuntary manslaughter – one for each of the victim’s deaths,
Many people have said that Jennifer Crumbley is guilty of child neglect because the tragedy could have been prevented had she provided her son with mental health resources. Her lawyer has defended the mother by stating that a parent can’t always watch their kids or be perfect.
Testimonies from both sides of the case have been going on for a week. Jurors were shown many messages between the young boy and his friend of insomnia, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations. Even after he was recommended to stay home after some concerning mental health issues, the parents still didn’t search his bag after he was sent back.
The issue being discussed pertaining to the case is that if Ethan Crumbley’s mother is convicted, it will historically set the precedent to holding parents of school shooters accountable for their children’s actions. I believe that the parents should be held accountable if there were clear signs of negligence or actions that would influence their future decisions. While it depends on a case-by-case basis, in this situation it is clear that there were several signs of Ethan Crumbley’s mental health deteriorating, as well as warnings from school authority that he was showing signs of violence. It goes far past negligence when there are clear warning signs that are being ignored in favor of gifting their child a firearm. Not only was Ethan Crumbley robbed of help he needed and had asked for, but the parents placed his classmates directly in the line of danger.
