Mary Cooper
Shepard Smith joins ‘Closing Bell’ to report breaking news on the search for the parents of accused high school shooter Ethan Crumbley in Michigan. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi
Authorities are searching for the parents of a teenager accused of killing four people in a Michigan high school shooting this week, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday.
The news came shortly after Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced that James and Jennifer Crumbley had been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
“While the shooter was the one who entered the high school and pulled the trigger, there are other individuals who contributed to the events on Nov. 30, and it’s my intent to hold them accountable as well,” McDonald said at a news conference.
She added, “Gun ownership is a right, and with that right comes great responsibility.”
An attorney for the parents had contacted authorities Friday morning to say that James and Jennifer Crumbley would turn themselves in if they were charged, sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
On Friday afternoon after officials said they were searching for the pair, their lawyers said the couple had not fled but had left town the night after the shooting “for their own safety” and were in the process of returning for arraignment.
“They are not fleeing from law enforcement despite recent comments in media reports,” lawyers Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman said in a statement.
The attorneys’ statement regarding the Crumbleys’ return was first reported by the Detroit News.
The sheriff’s office said it had not heard from lawyers late Friday afternoon and said that the duo’s voluntary return was not assured.
Earlier in the day Bouchard described resources on the case.
“We have our Fugitive Apprehension Team, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service and others actively looking for them and have every expectation we’ll have them in custody soon,” Bouchard said. “The action of fleeing and ignoring their attorney certainly adds weight to the charges. They cannot run from their part in this tragedy.”
The couple may be driving a black 2021 Kia Seltos SUV with a Michigan license plate number, authorities said.
Bouchard said that his department was not given a heads-up from the prosecutor that the charges would be filed against the parents.
“We were informed, actually, by the media that a charging decision had been made,” he told MSNBC.
When asked if that was frustrating, the sheriff responded: “That’s an understatement.”
James Crumbley purchased the weapon days before the shooting, according to the sheriff. McDonald said that James Crumbley brought the suspect, Ethan Crumbley, with him to the store.
Under Michigan law, an involuntary manslaughter charge can be pursued if prosecutors believe someone contributed to a situation in which harm or death was high. If convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison.
Ethan Crumbley, 15, has been charged as an adult with two dozen crimes, including murder, attempted murder and terrorism, in the shooting Tuesday at Oxford High School in Oakland County, roughly 30 miles north of Detroit.
During Friday’s news conference, the top prosecutor in Oakland County said that a teacher had observed Ethan Crumbley searching ammunition on his cellphone and alerted school officials. The school tried to contact his mother but could not reach her.
McDonald told reporters that Jennifer Crumbley did not contact the school but instead texted her son: “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
On Tuesday, prior to the shooting, another teacher alerted school officials to a drawing found on Ethan Crumbley’s desk. It contained a drawing of a gun pointing at the words “the thoughts won’t stop, help me,” the prosecutor said.
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