Key moments surrounding the Michigan high school shooting in 2021
Jury deliberations are underway in the groundbreaking involuntary manslaughter trial of the Michigan mother of a teenage boy who killed four classmates and wounded others
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Your support makes all the difference.Jury deliberations are underway in the involuntary manslaughter trial of the Michigan mother of a teenage boy who killed four classmates and wounded others. It is the latest development in the shooting that occurred Nov. 30, 2021, in Oxford, Michigan, just north of Detroit.
Here is a timeline of events leading up to the verdict.
Nov. 26, 2021: James Crumbley buys a 9mm Sig Sauer from Acme Shooting Goods in Oxford. His son Ethan, 15 at the time, posts a photo on Instagram of himself holding the semi-automatic handgun, writing: “Just got my new beauty today. SIG SAUER 9mm. Any questions I will answer.” He includes an emoji of a smiling face with heart eyes.
Nov. 27, 2021: Jennifer Crumbley and Ethan take turns shooting the gun at a range. She writes on social media that it is a “mom and son day testing out his new Christmas present.”
Nov. 29, 2021: A teacher sees Ethan, a sophomore at Oxford High, searching online for ammunition with his cellphone during class and reports it. Ethan tells school staff that he and his mother recently went to a shooting range and that shooting sports are a family hobby. School personnel call his mother to notify her but says he's not in trouble. While exchanging text messages with her son, she writes: “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.” That night, Ethan Crumbley records a video declaring his plan to kill students.
Nov. 30, 2021: Ethan Crumbley opens fire at Oxford High School, killing four students. Seven others, including a teacher, are wounded. His parents had met with school officials earlier in the day because violent drawings were found on a math paper, but he was not removed from school. Ethan's backpack was also not searched. A gun in the backpack was used in the attack. The shooter surrenders without a fight.
Dec. 1, 2021: Ethan is charged as an adult with murder and terrorism.
Dec. 3, 2021: James and Jennifer Crumbley are charged with involuntary manslaughter. Authorities cannot find them, and a search is launched.
Dec. 4, 2021: A judge imposes a combined $1 million bond for the parents, hours after police say they were caught hiding in a Detroit art studio with new phones and more than $6,000 in cash. They plead not guilty to the charges.
Dec. 9, 2021: The first lawsuits are filed seeking $100 million each against the Oxford school district, saying the violence could have been prevented.
Jan. 24, 2022: Oxford High School reopens for the first time since the attack, with the school’s principal declaring “we are reclaiming our high school back.”
Oct. 24, 2022: Ethan Crumbley, 16 at the time, pleads guilty to terrorism and first-degree murder.
Dec. 9, 2023: A judge sentences Ethan Crumbley, now 17, to life in prison after listening to hours of gripping anguish from parents and wounded survivors.
Jan. 23, 2024: Jennifer Crumbley stands trial on involuntary manslaughter charges in an unusual effort to pin criminal responsibility on his parents for the deaths.