Families of Oxford shooting victims lose appeal over school's liability for tragedy

FILE - Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, right, shakes hands with Oxford High School victim parents after Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the Oakland County courtroom, Feb. 6, 2024 in Pontiac, Mich. (Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press via AP, Pool, File)

By ED WHITE

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Oxford school district on Thursday in a lawsuit that seeks to hold employees partly responsible for a shooting that killed four students and wounded others in 2021.

The court, in a 3-0 opinion, said lawyers for the families have not offered evidence that shows Oxford staff were the “proximate cause” of the tragedy.

While staff had expressed concerns about Ethan Crumbley, and a meeting was held with his parents on the day of the shooting, it was the teenager who “made the definite and premeditated decision” to take a gun to Oxford High School, the appeals court said.

The court affirmed a lower court decision that said governmental immunity applied. Under Michigan law, immunity is a high hurdle to overcome in lawsuits against a public body or staff. Lawyers typically have to show that gross negligence occurred.

A law firm representing the Oxford families said they’ll next ask the Michigan Supreme Court to take an appeal. A separate lawsuit is in federal court.

Crumbley, who was 15 at the time, is serving a life prison sentence. His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are each serving 10-year sentences for involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said they had ignored his mental health needs, bought him a gun as a gift and then failed to safely secure it.

Before the shooting, Ethan Crumbley had sketched images of a gun, a bullet and a wounded man on a math paper, accompanied by despondent phrases. The parents were quickly called to a meeting at school but declined to take him home. No one — parents or staff — checked the boy’s backpack for a gun.

Not PARSE.LY: Michigan