James Crumbley Made Flurry Of Phone Calls Right After Oxford Shooting: Detective

PONTIAC, MI — The father of the Oxford school shooter immediately made a flurry of phone calls after learning there was a shooting at the high school, a former detective with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office testified at James Crumbley's trial Thursday.

James Crumbley tried calling his son twice while waiting in a Meijer parking lot where students were sent to reunite with their families after the shooting on Nov. 30, 2021, according to detective Edward Wagrowski, who specialized in computer crimes and studied thousands of text messages and phone calls by the Crumbley family.

James also tried calling his wife Jennifer and two other people before leaving the parking lot to go home, Wagrowski testified.

James tried calling his son two more times, but the calls went unanswered as the teen was already arrested in connection with the shooting by officers, Wagrowski testified.

None of James' phone calls were answered, Wagrowski testified.

When James arrived home and found that the 9mm SIG Sauer gun and its bullets were missing, he called 911 at roughly 1:30 p.m., Wagrowski testified.

"I have a missing gun at my house," Crumbley said in his 911 call, which was played in court Thursday. "I have a missing gun, and my son is at the school. I don’t know if it was him, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m really freaking out."

James Crumbley, 47, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deadly shooting. He faces up to 15 years in prison on each charge.

James' wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was found guilty on the same charges. Her sentencing date is scheduled for April 9.

Prosecutors are trying to prove James committed gross negligence leading up to the shooting. They claim the James ignored disturbing warning signs from their son leading up to the deadly shooting, and instead of getting him help, bought him a gun.

Jurors will only need to believe one of two theories to declare Crumbley guilty: That James failed to perform a legal duty in parenting, or that he knew his son was a danger to others and failed to take the ordinary care steps to avoid injuring others.

Defense lawyers maintain he had no idea what his son was planning. Moreover, defense lawyers argued James cannot be held accountable because he was not "directly involved" in the Oxford school shooting, and are not "responsible for the deaths of others."

Ethan Crumbley, who is now 17, was sentenced to life without parole last December after he admitted to the shooting.

The four students killed in the shooting were 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.