FBI hunt for parents of school shooting suspect after manslaughter charges
The parents of a teenager accused of killing four students and wounding seven at a Michigan school have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Ethan Crumbley, 15, is in custody after the attack on Tuesday at Oxford High School, about 30 miles north of Detroit.
Investigators say the handgun used was purchased legally by his father last week while Ethan was with him, and was “freely available” to the teenager.
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“The parents were the only individuals in the position to know the access to weapons,” said Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald.
She said their actions went “far beyond negligence”.
James and Jennifer Crumbley have each been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
It is rare for people in the US to be charged over shootings by their children, even though most get the weapon from the house of their parents or another relative.
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There is also no law in Michigan that says guns must be locked away from minors.
The prosecutor said Crumbley’s parents had met school officials a few hours before the shooting after teachers found a drawing of a gun, a person bleeding and the words “help me.”
Crumbley has been charged as an adult with crimes including murder, attempted murder and terrorism.
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He is alleged to have emerged from a toilet and opened fire in a hallway. Seven students and a teacher were shot before he surrendered.
Three of the students died on Tuesday, and the fourth died on Wednesday.
The school was placed on lockdown after the attack, with children sheltering in locked classrooms while officers searched the premises.
When he heard about the shooting, James Crumbley drove home to look for the gun and found it was missing, said prosecutor Ms McDonald at Friday’s news conference.
He then called authorities to say he suspected his son was responsible.
