Oxford School Officials Change Mind, Hire Firms To Review Shooting

OXFORD, MI — After relentless pressure, Oxford School officials announced Tuesday night during a board meeting the district hired two independent law firms to investigate the events leading up to the deadly shooing at Oxford High School on Nov. 30.

Officials unanimously voted to hire Varnum, a Grand Rapids-based law firm, and Guidepost Solutions, an independent investigations firm based in New York, to conduct the review.

"We can't wait any longer to get an independent understanding of what happened that day," president of Oxford's board Tom Donnelly said. "And as our community has been telling us from day one, neither can you."

It was just last week when Donnelly rejected an offer from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigation the shooting and said any independent review into the deadly shooting should wait until all civil and criminal matters were over.

Furthermore, he said prosecutors and officials were still withholding critical information about the shooting from the district.

Officials and the Oxford community blasted the district for its decision and accused district officials of needlessly delaying an investigation into the deadly shooting.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who is prosecuting the 15-year-old authorities accused of carrying out the deadly attack, which killed four and students and wounded seven other people and his parents, who were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, said the prosecutions would not interfere with an independent review of the shooting.

"There is no reason to delay an independent review of the Oxford High School shooting - such reviews have been conducted promptly after other school shootings," McDonald said in a statement. "An independent commission can conduct a thorough analysis of the events and factors that contributed to the shooting, can hold public hearings, and can recommend steps to make our schools safer and make our students feel safe."

Nessel first offered to conduct the independent review in December and then again in April, all at the cost of her office, but Oxford School officials rejected that offer both times. In rejecting her offer, Nessel said district officials were shielding themselves from responsibility.

"The rejection sends a message that the board is more focused on limiting liability than responding to the loud outcry from the Oxford community to deliver greater peace of mind to the students, parents and educators that lived through this traumatic event," Nessel said.