15-year-old charged in school shooting; fourth student dies

A 15-year-old boy was charged Wednesday with murder, terrorism and other crimes for a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured others at a Michigan high school.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen Mcdonald did not reveal a possible motive for Tuesday’s violence at Oxford High School and declined to comment when pressed about whether she believed the victims were specifically targeted. But she said the shooting was premeditated, based in part on a “mountain of digital evidence” collected by police.

Ethan Crumbley is accused of firing a semi-automatic handgun in a school hallway, roughly 30 miles north of Detroit. At least seven other people were injured.

Crumbley was charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorism causing death. It wasn’t immediately known if he had an attorney who could comment.

The shooting should be a wakeup call for new gun laws in a country that has become “desensitized to school shootings,” Mcdonald told reporters.

“We have to do better,” Mcdonald said without offering specific changes. “How many times does this have to happen? How many times?”

The charges were announced a few hours after it was reported that a fourth student had died.

“What about all the children who ran, screaming, hiding under desks? ... Those are victims, too, and so are their families and so is the community. The charge of terrorism reflects that,” the prosecutor said.

Deputies rushed to the school around lunchtime Tuesday and arrested Crumbley in a hallway within minutes of the shooting. His father bought the 9 mm Sig Sauer gun last week, according to the Oakland County sheriff.

Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Wednesday that Crumbley’s parents were called to the school Tuesday “for behavior in the classroom that was concerning.” The teen remained in school, and the shooting was a few hours later.

Bouchard didn’t offer details about what had troubled school officials. He said investigators believe the gun was already in school.

Mcdonald strongly suggested that more charges will be filed.

The four students who were killed were identified as 16-yearold Tate Myre, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.

JAKE MAY/THE FLINT JOURNAL VIA AP Allison Hepp, 15, leans on her brother Benjamin Hepp, 17, as they stand alongside classmates during a prayer vigil at a church in Oxford, Michigan, on Tuesday after the Oxford High School shootings.