Parents bought accused US high school shooter gun as Christmas present

The teenager’s mother said her son was “testing out his new Christmas present” after he’d been gun shopping days before a deadly school massacre.

In the days before his deadly rampage, the teenage school shooter accompanied his dad to the gun shop and his mum let him test out the weapon as an early Christmas gift.

New information indicates that accused US high school shooter Ethan Crumbley got his hands on a gun to carry out his deadly rampage because his parents had bought it for him as a Christmas present.

On Tuesday, the 15-year-old is alleged to have opened fire at Oxford High School, in Michigan, leaving four students dead and seven others injured, including a teacher.

He was charged as an adult with 24 offences including four counts of first-degree murder, terrorism and assault.

Four days before the massacre, Ethan’s father James Crumbley purchased a semiautomatic handgun. His teenage son accompanied him, a shop assistant told police.

Then, a day later, his mother Jennifer Crumbley posted on social media saying Ethan was “testing out his new Christmas present”.

Lead investigators say that the Crumbley parents ignored warning signs from their son, failed to return teachers’ messages raising concerns about his behaviour and encouraged him to not “get caught”.

It’s led to the unprecedented move of police charging the couple with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter for failing in their responsibilities as gun holders.

The Crumbleys have since gone on the run, according to authorities.

The Crumbleys are now wanted by police.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald announced the unusual charges against the parents at a press conference on Friday local time (Saturday AEDT).

“These charges are intended to hold the individuals who contributed to this tragedy accountable and also send the message that gun owners have a responsibility,” Ms McDonald said.

Shortly after the shooter’s parents were charged, police couldn’t find the couple and they were declared missing.

“If they think they are going to get away, they are not,” Sherriff Michael Bouchard told CNN.

Asked if the Crumbleys were “missing now”, Sherriff Bouchard replied: “Correct.”

“The action of fleeing and ignoring their attorney certainly adds weight to the charges. They cannot run from their part in this tragedy,” he added in a statement.

Lawyers for the Crumbleys have since denied they are fugitives, saying they left town “for their own safety” and are returning soon.

However, they failed to appear at their arraignment.

“So the Crumbleys are missing now?”
“Correct” pic.twitter.com/fbFTocjReM

— Acyn (@Acyn) December 3, 2021

Authorities have also alleged that Ethan’s parents failed to do enough to stop him despite very obvious early warning signs that he was planning to shoot his classmates.

According to Reuters, on two separate occasions teachers thought Ethan was a risk to others.

The first time, a teacher spotted Ethan googling on his phone how to access ammunition. This prompted them to flag him with school officials, who in turn tried to contact his mother Jennifer.

She never returned their messages but clearly read them as hours later prosecutors say she texted Ethan: “LOL, I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”

Ethan Crumbley. Source: Oakland County Sheriff's Office

Ethan Crumbley and his mum Jennifer both posted about the gun on social media.

The very day that the shooting occurred, Mr and Mrs Crumbley were called into an urgent meeting with the school over their son.

According to police, another teacher caught Ethan with a drawing of a handgun, a bullet, and a bleeding person next to the words, “Blood everywhere … The thoughts won‘t stop – help me”.

His parents were called into the school immediately and were told to send Ethan to a counsellor within 48 hours and that he should be taken out of class straight away.

They “resisted” this idea and didn’t check him for a gun, prosecutor McDonald said.

“The notion that a parent could read those words and also know that their son had access to a deadly weapon that they gave him is unconscionable, and I think it‘s criminal,” she added.

It’s alleged that during the meeting, Ethan had a gun in his backpack.

His parents were not too concerned about their son’s violent drawings.

Instead of being taken out of school, Ethan went back to class, and the killing rampage began soon after.

His mother heard that there was a school shooting taking place and texted him, “Ethan, don‘t do it,” according to prosecutors.

When his father heard that there was a shooting, it’s claimed he drove home to check if their gun, kept in an unlocked drawer in the parents’ bedroom, was still on the premises.

Finding it missing, he called police to tell them his son might be the shooter.