Contributing Writer Shahina Alibekova, ’23
On November 30, around 12:50 p.m., there were close to one hundred 911 calls made by students and staff in Oxford High School, Michigan about a mass shooting. Four students were killed, while seven others, including a teacher, were injured.
Law enforcement received the first 911 call about the shooting at 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe.
After the investigation, authorities concluded that the suspect started firing at students in the hallway as soon as he came out of the bathroom. When students heard the first of about 30 shots they rushed to hide behind doors. After hours of investigation, it was established that the suspect’s targets seemed random. In total there were 11 people wounded, four of them pronounced dead, and the rest in serious and critical conditions.
The four students that died were Madisyn Baldwin, 17, who was in the class of 2022 and was already accepted in a few colleges, including some full rides. Tate Myre, 16, was a dedicated athlete who had a spot on the varsity football team since freshman year, which also made him the star player of his team. Hana St. Juliana, 14, was on the volleyball and the basketball team of her high school and has been dedicated to basketball since 6th grade. Justin Shilling, 17, was a scholar who was part of Oxford School District’s Baccalaureate program, a lettered athlete, and a university scholarship awardee. Tate Myre died on the way to the hospital in a police officer’s car and Justin Shilling died the next morning in the hospital, according to Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
During all the commotion of the shooting, students ran away from the shooter. But Myre ran towards him in an attempt to stop him and help others. Sadly, he lost his life because of this but could have saved many more in the process.
The rest of the seven victims were six students ages 14-17 and a teacher. The teacher and two of the students were discharged and one of the students had to undergo surgery.
The shooting suspect is Ethan Crumbley, 15, a sophomore at Oxford High School who is currently being held at the Oakland County Jail.
The day before the shooting, a teacher had noticed the suspect browsing the web about ammunition for the gun in class, prompting a meeting with school officials, according to the prosecutor.
Authorities told a judge during a video arraignment that detectives had obtained two recordings from the suspect’s cell phone that was taken the night before the incident. According to detectives, Crumbley was seen the next day at Oxford High talking about shooting and killing students. His desire to “shoot up the school” was also stated in a journal found in his backpack.
On the morning of the shooting, the suspect’s parents were called into the school after another teacher found a concerning drawing made by him. County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald stated that the drawing included an image of a gun, a person who had been shot, and a laughing emoji, as well as the words “Blood everywhere,” and “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.” After this, the student was brought to the guidance counselor’s office by the teacher. Once he was confronted about the image, he claimed that it was just a design of the video game he was making. However, the suspect was dismissed back to class after having a conversation with his parents.
The weapon used in the shooting was a 9mm Sig Sauer SP 2022 pistol belonging to Ethan Crumbley’s father, which had been purchased only four days prior. Crumbley had three 15-round magazines, including eleven rounds in the handgun and magazine, and seven more being found when authorities detained the suspect.
Crumbley has been charged as an adult with one count of terrorism causing death and four charges of first-degree murder, which if convicted, may result in a life sentence. The suspect was charged as an adult due to the severity of the crime and because of the prosecutor believing that it had been pre-meditated.
