Although the Oxford and Georgia high school shootings occur three years apart, they are terrifyingly and tragically similar in a number of ways, particularly when it comes to the issue of parental responsibility.
In both massacres, the shooter’s parents were charged. Several experts believe the new case in Michigan has paved the way for this latest prosecution in Georgia, where the father of the alleged teenage gunman is facing criminal charges in the deaths of four people killed by his son in a shooting rampage this week at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Four people died in the Apalachee High School massacre: two students and two staff members. Nine others were injured.
Four people were also killed in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting, all students. Six other students were injured, plus a teacher.
While the facts and allegations are similar in both mass shootings, there are some key differences that could produce a different outcome in Georgia than in Michigan, where two separate juries earlier this year convicted parents James and Jennifer Crumbley of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of four students — Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17 — killed by their son, Ethan Crumbley. The Crumbleys, who are both serving 10-year prison sentences after being found guilty in separate trials, are appealing the verdict, arguing that they had no idea their son was planning to shoot up his school; that they saw no signs that he was mentally ill; and that the gun in question was found unloaded in a closet with the bullets in a separate drawer.
Their reasons for their appeal are likely the same as those of the father of Georgia shooting suspect Colin Gray, who is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
The cases in Oxford and Georgia are as follows:
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Both shooters are young teenagers who have turned themselves in to police: the Oxford shooter was 15 at the time of the killing, the Georgia suspect was 14.
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The weapons used in both massacres were Christmas presents given to the teenagers by their parents.
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The parents in both shootings are accused of “intentionally” giving their minor sons access to a gun. However, both parents claim their sons did not have unfettered access to guns.
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Both teenage shooters reportedly showed signs of mental health problems and displayed warning signs that may have been ignored by their parents.
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Criminal charges were quickly filed against the parents in both shootings. The Crumbleys were charged three days after the Nov. 30, 2021, mass shooting. Gray was charged the day after the Georgia shooting.
Given how recent the Georgia case is, more similarities — and differences — with the Oxford case could emerge as police learn more about the shooting suspect and his family life. Within days of the Oxford shooting, prosecutors released scores of personal details about the Crumbleys, portraying them as selfish individuals who had affairs, drank excessively and spent more time with their horse-riding hobby than with their son.
No such juicy details have emerged in the Georgia case.
This is where the Georgia and Oxford cases differ:
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Only one parent has been charged in the Georgia case. In Oxford, both parents were charged.
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The Oxford shooter used a 9mm Sig Sauer pistol in his shooting; the Georgia suspect used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
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The Crumbleys were charged after a manhunt that ended with the couple being arrested in the middle of the night at a friend’s Detroit art gallery. There was no manhunt for the Georgia father.
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The Crumbleys were called to school the morning before the shooting because of a disturbing drawing their son had made on a math worksheet of a gun and the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.” The Crumbleys returned to work after seeing the drawing. Their son returned to school and fired his first shot two hours later. There was no such immediate red flag in the Georgia case.
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The Oxford shooter had no contact with law enforcement prior to the shooting, and was never suspected or questioned about threatening to shoot up his school. The Georgia suspect, however, was investigated and questioned by the FBI last year about his possible connection to online threats to carry out a school shooting. The boy denied making the threats. His father was also questioned and told investigators that there were shotguns in his home but that his son did not have unsupervised access to them.
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In the days leading up to the Oxford shooting, the gunman raised numerous red flags at his school that teachers reported to the office, including searching for bullets online and watching a video of someone shooting people. So far, no such details have been reported about the Georgia shooting.
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In the Georgia case, the father said he bought the gun as a Christmas present for his son in December 2023, nine months before the shooting. In the Oxford case, the father bought the gun for his son during a Black Friday shopping trip just four days before the shooting.
In the Oxford case, the Crumbleys maintained that the gun in question was not really a gift, just as a parent buys a car for their child: the vehicle really is the parent’s property, and there are restrictions on it. The Crumbleys said the gun was only to be used at a shooting range, with adult supervision. The Crumbleys also claim that they had no idea their son was planning a school shooting.
The Georgia dad could make the same claim.
In both cases, it is unclear how the teens obtained the weapons used in the school shooting.
Georgia suspect Colt Gray is currently in custody on four counts of murder. His father is also in custody.
Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley, who was charged as an adult, is serving a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to killing four students and wounding seven others, including a teacher. He is appealing his sentence.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Georgia school shooting not so similar to Oxford: Here’s why
