A Child's Actions, A Parent's Responsibility?

HW 6

School shootings are often viewed as a uniquely American type of tragedy, as the United States has on average 57 times more school shootings than any other developed country in the world. While the COVID-19 pandemic provided a short reprieve from the horror and tragedy, as schools were forced online and students did not gather in one space, the country went back to their "shooting standard" on November 30, 2021. A 15 year old boy opened fire at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, killing 4 and injuring 7. This shooting has gained massive media attention not only because it is one of the first mass school shootings since the pandemic began, but because of the aftermath and the decisions of the justice system.

The shooter, Ethan Crumbley, was arrested on charges connected to the shooting, but he wasn't the only family member to be arrested. His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were also arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. This is an extremely rare case, as in school shootings the shooter either kills themselves, or they are the only ones prosecuted for their actions. The parents were arrested after failing to turn themselves in and fleeing to hide in an art studio in Detroit.

Now why are the parents being held responsible for their sons actions? Because there is proof that they provided the weapon and unrestricted access to it, ignored concerning behavior, and enabled their son to return to the school on the day of the shooting. The weapon was a gift to their son and they posted about it on social media and kept it in an unlocked drawer in their room. Their son Ethan had a history of concerning behavior at school and although called into several meetings, no action form the parents was ever taken, including after the meeting the day of the shooting. When called to the school to discuss a worrying violent drawing depicting a shooting with said weapon, the parents refused to remove him from the school and let him go back to class. Upon returning home, they found the gun missing and called 911 to report a potential shooting and that their son could be the shooter.

Prosecutors are going after the parents because their son is a minor and they provided the means and opportunity for him to commit the shooting. Besides just going after the parents, the prosecution is presenting evidence that the shooting was also premeditated. The violent drawing, social media posts and videos, and past behaviors at school all point towards a premeditated mass shooting. Some families of students at the school are suing the school district as well, claiming they did not act appropriately to stop the shooting from happening when faced with the concerning evidence that occurred before the shooting. There is also allegation of the school destroying documents and evidence after the shooting pertaining to the social media messages and posts and failing in general to preserve evidence related to the shooters past behavioral concerns.

While this case is still unfolding at multiple levels, there is no doubt that it has already caused major conversations about where parental responsibility ends in these situations. I personally believe that the parents were entirely negligent and failed to act to help their son before it was too late, as they had more than enough evidence and concerned parties to recognize that he was extremely troubled. I also believe they provided the means to commit the shooting as they got him the weapon and publicly posted about it and also failed to properly and securely store the weapon in their home. While I am not a lawyer or a judge and cannot determine the final verdict, I personally believe wether they are found guilty or innocent they failed at many stages to help their son, and by default to stop the shooting.

School shooting are something that the American public has become almost desensitized to, as over the years they have become more and more frequent. Some shooting stick in peoples minds such as Columbine or Sandy Hook, but some simply fade from memory as the media coverage is replaced by the next tragic shooting. The memory of every single school shooting victim deserves to be shared and respected, as they are all lives that were needlessly and unfairly lost. This most recent case will sadly become another statistic in the long list of America's school shooting problem, and i'm sure it won't be the last. Tragedies like these are completely preventable and this case is holding those who could have prevented it accountable.