Manslaughter charges filed against parents of alleged shooter in Michigan school shooting; authorities search for couple
DETROIT — Hours after a prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges against the parents of the suspect in the Oxford High School shooting, authorities claimed they appeared to be fleeing from authorities.
Jennifer and James Crumbley were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter after the prosecutor said they bought the firearm for their son as a Christmas gift. Their 15-year-old son, Ethan, is accused of fatally shooting four students and injuring seven others at Oxford High School on Tuesday.
During a hearing that started around noon, a lieutenant with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said the parents were not in custody. The Oakland County Fugitive Team, along with several agencies, were searching for the couple as of Friday afternoon.
"The action of fleeing and ignoring their attorney certainly adds weight to the charges," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a release Friday. "They cannot run from their part in this tragedy."
But the family's lawyers said the couple is not fleeing from authorities and are returning to the area after having left town briefly amid the commotion surrounding tragedy.
"The Crumbleys left town on the night of the tragic shooting for their own safety. They are returning to the area to be arraigned," their lawyers Smith and Mariell Lehman said.