School missed chance to search Mich. shooter’s locker, says prosecutor

A 15-year-old schoolboy’s locker and backpack could have been searched, but were not, before the teen gunman opened fire Nov. 30, killing four students, a Michigan prosecutor says.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald told CNN Monday it would have been lawful for Oxford High School officials to look through Ethan Crumbley’s belongings.

“We don’t know exactly if that weapon was in his bag, where it was, we just know it was in the school and he had access to it,” McDonald said.

Crumbley is accused of using a semiautomatic handgun in the shooting rampage at the school, and was charged as an adult on counts of murder, attempted murder and terrorism.

Prosecutors haven’t ruled out charging others — including school authorities, McDonald told CNN, without specifying why those officials didn’t carry out a search.

On the morning of the shooting, Crumbley was reported by a teacher for allegedly drawing a doodle featuring a gun and the words “blood everywhere.” The school then held a meeting with his parents to discuss his behavior.

His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, are charged with involuntary manslaughter, with prosecutors contending they should have intervened.

“All of this could have been prevented if he hadn’t had access [to a gun] or if just one of those parents had said, ‘I’m concerned about what I’m seeing right now and I also want you to know we just bought him a gun for Christmas,’ and that didn’t happen,” McDonald told CNN.

Authorities have identified the victims, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-yearold Tate Myre, 17-year-old Justin Shilling and 17-yearold Madisyn Baldwin.