Emails, Drawings Show Oxford School Officials Ignored Crumbley: Lawyer

OXFORD, MI — Flanked by the families of four students slain in the deadly Oxford school shooting, a Detroit attorney shared new evidence he says showed Oxford school officials failed to prevent the deadly shooting during a Thursday morning news conference.

Attorney Ven Johnson said Oxford school officials ignored numerous emails and drawings from the accused Oxford school shooter, Ethan Crumbley, that focuses on guns, bullets and violent references.

Johnson said Crumbley gave one drawing, a sketch of himself and a gun, to a teacher in August 2021. The teacher, however, claimed she never saw the sketch, according to Johnson, citing court testimony.

"She admitted it looked to be a magazine full of bullets and if she had saw it at the time she would have done something about it," Johnson said.

In another incident, Johnson said a teacher emailed a counselor in September 2021 about passages Crumbley wrote on his homework assignment, including phrases that he feels terrible and that his family is a mistake.

"Could you please touch base with Ethan Crumbley? In his autobiography poem, he said that he feels terrible and that his family is a mistake," Johnson read. " 'Unusual responses for sure.' Her words, not mine."

The counselor said he spoke to the teacher, who determined it wasn't a serious matter after 'further reflection,' according to Johnson, citing court testimony. However, the teacher told investigators after the deadly shooting that she did speak with Crumbley, meaning the counselor never spoke to the teacher, Johnson said.

Johnson also said a teacher emailed a counselor and the dean of students a day before the shooting that she was concerned after finding Ethan searching for ammunition on his phone in the classroom.

"I had a student during the first hour today, Ethan Crumbley, who was on his phone looking at different bullets at the end of the first hour today as I was walking around the room passing out their graded essays," Johnson quoted from an email. "I didn't get a chance to investigate it a bit further since it was the end of the hour. Now that he's on my radar, I'm noticing that some of his previous work that he's completed from earlier in the year leans a bit toward the violent side."

Johnson also said school officials did not interview any classmates about Crumbley's disturbing behavior, even though he told a classmate, "If I ever tell you not to come to school sometimes, don't."

Crumbley also showed the classmate pictures of his gun and targets he shot at a shooting range with his mother, Johnson said. In addition, Johnson said Crumbley showed the classmate a live bullet in school a day before the shooting, but the classmate never reported the incident because he didn't know what to do, according to Johnson.

On the day of the shooting, Nov. 30, 2021, Crumbley was pulled into a counselor's office for a 45-minute conversation with school officials — for what Johnson said was a normal conversation.

During the meeting, which also included Crumbley's parents, Crumbley asked the school officials to grab his backpack from the classroom because he was worried about missing chemistry class, Johnson said.

The teacher grabbed his backpack, and although she said it looked empty, she commented on how heavy it was, according to Johnson. School officials in the meeting then gave Crumbley back his backpack that had a gun, ammunition and his journal inside, Johnson said.

"Neither one of them, according to their testimony, even thought for a second to search the backpack," Johnson said. "Neither one of them thought for a second to ask Ethan, ‘Hey, dude, show us what’s in there. We just want to make sure everything’s cool.’ Didn’t even ask him."

Oxford Community Schools Superintendent Ken Weaver said the school district has been fully cooperating with the civil litigation process and will continue to do so while providing its students with essential tools for safety and education.

"At Oxford Community Schools, we are focused on providing all our students with a world-class education that prepares them for success while also providing for their safety and well-being," Weaver said. "I remain confident that the multiple investigations, lawsuits and the school board’s third-party review will bring all the facts to light and create the full transparency and accounting of events our community wants and deserves."

"In the meantime, we will not be responding to media about specific claims made by attorneys involved in the ongoing lawsuits. We remain focused on our mission of educating and supporting our kids," he added.

Ethan Crumbley was charged with 24 counts, four counts of premeditated first-degree murder and terrorism, in connection to the deadly Oxford school shooting that left four students dead and wounded seven others.

He was placed in the Oakland County Jail without bond and will go straight to trial after pleading insanity. His trial is expected to start sometime in January 2023.

Crumbley's parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly shooting. They were also placed in the Oakland County Jail on a $500,000 bond each. Their trial was originally supposed to start in October, but was delayed to an unknown date.