(CBS-DETROIT) As the third anniversary of the Oxford High School shooting approaches, parents of the victims are demanding an independent state investigation so data can be collected and used to create solutions.
On Monday, the families of the four students killed in the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting — Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre and Justin Shilling — called on Michigan lawmakers to conduct an independent investigation into the events leading up to it authorize and finance. to the shooting.
The families say it has been three years of excuses from all government agencies.
“We love to point out the character is the instrument for this violence, instead of thinking about why people feel this way. Why do people get to the point where they want to do bad things,” said Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre. “We’re not thinking about that part of it, we’re thinking about the whole prevention part of it. We’re just addressing the gun thing. We’re not trying to systematically get better. That’s what this study will expose.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has offered to investigate on several occasions, but has been rebuffed each time by the Oxford Community Schools board.
In response to Monday’s news conference, Nessel said the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office declined any assistance from Nessel’s office.
“My office has always respected local authority and we never use our jurisdiction to replace criminal investigations at the local or state level,” Nessel said. “Once a case has been reviewed by local law enforcement authorities, my department will only participate or take the lead in a criminal investigation or prosecution after local authorities have provided a referral and asked us to do so.
“Let me make it clear: To this day, neither the Oakland County Sheriff nor the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has ever asked us to take over any part of the criminal investigation into what took place in Oxford.”
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald responded to Nessel’s comments, saying:
“As indicated in my memo to the families, there is a difference between the role of a prosecutor, who is a lawyer, and that of the police and other investigators, who collect evidence. My office does not have the authority to conduct the investigation. what the families have requested. The attorney general does. We are not aware of any mechanism by which our office can refer a matter to the Attorney General’s office if it has not been submitted to our office. And what the families are asking for is much broader. We are not aware of any action that my office may need to take to activate the authority of the Attorney General, but we will do everything possible to enable such an investigation to make. And my office will fully cooperate with any such investigation.
“There is so much we can learn, and we owe it to the students who were killed and those who were injured, their families, the Oxford community and our children to do everything we can to prevent future shootings.” An independent investigation remains a crucial missing piece in that process.”
A independent research by Guidepost Solutions was released in October 2023 and says all levels of Oxford Community Schools “bear responsibility” and have failed to provide a safe environment for students. Families of the shooting victims say the Guidepost investigation “lacked subpoena power, resulting in many school employees being advised by their attorneys not to participate, leaving crucial questions unanswered.”
The shooter, Ethan Crumbley, was sentenced in December 2023 to life without the possibility of parole, while his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were convicted in April to 10-15 years in prison after serving time found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Monday’s news conference marked the first time the families spoke without their attorneys.
