In this article, we will discuss the responsibilities of parents when a child commits a mass murder. We will review the story of Hannah, a 14-year-old girl who was killed in a shooting at Oxford High School. We will also talk about the parents who provided their son with the weapon he used in the attack and attempted to flee after being charged with involuntary manslaughter. Additionally, we will discuss the role of the school in preventing this tragedy and whether it can be held accountable.
The Story of Hannah and the Oxford High School Shooting
Hannah was the youngest of four students killed at Oxford High School when Ethan Crumbley opened fire. Tate Myer, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling were also killed, and seven others were injured, including a teacher. This incident was the worst school shooting in Michigan’s history and has left the town of Oxford, which has a population of around 22,000, in shock.
A Troubled History
Before the Oxford shooting, Kayla Lemieux had not thought of Ethan Crumbley since he was a nine-year-old boy living in the neighboring area of Michigan. Kayla worked with Ethan’s mother, Jennifer, at a restaurant in 2015 and became close to the Crumbley family after they moved into an apartment nearby in Lake Orion before settling in Oxford.
Kayla stated that Mr. and Mrs. Crumbley would leave Ethan home alone for long hours when he was nine years old while they went out drinking. Sometimes, Ethan would come over to her house, and his interactions with her were concerning.
In court, Ethan Crumbley’s attorneys painted a similar picture of the boy’s upbringing, calling in a psychologist who described him as a “wild child” who was inconsistently interacted with by his parents and was suffering from mental health issues.
The Case Against the Parents
Considering that this case is one of the first of its kind, it may be difficult to hold parents accountable for the attack in court, according to experts. Legal experts have stated that U.S. law generally aims to hold individuals accountable for their own actions.
Nonetheless, there are several elements in the Crumbley case that may have prompted Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald to charge the parents. Primarily, the family purchased the weapon used by Ethan just a few days before the attack as an early Christmas gift and failed to secure the gun properly, according to prosecutors.
The parents also refused to take him home from school on the day of the incident after school officials discovered Ethan’s drawings of a gun and bloody figures. However, prosecutors will have to prove it was foreseeable that the disturbed 15-year-old son would commit the attack, according to Stephen J. Morse, a law and psychiatry professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Role of Third Parties in the Crime
While parents may be the first to face involuntary manslaughter charges in the case of a mass murder committed by their child, prosecutors are increasingly trying to hold third parties accountable for other killings, according to Stephen J. Morse.
In November, the father of a man accused of killing seven people during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, admitted to irresponsible behavior for helping his 18-year-old son obtain the weapon used in the attack.
In the same month, a court sentenced the mother of a six-year-old boy convicted of child neglect to 21 months in prison in Virginia after she admitted to negligence in her child’s care.
The Community Struggles with Grief
While Ethan Crumbley’s parents face increasing criticism, many are also blaming the Oxford Community School. In November, about 30 students from Oxford High School walked out in protest, demanding the resignation of several school board members.
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They called for the provision of mental health services in schools and the establishment of a memorial to commemorate the victims. Last month, an independent company released its final report on the school’s response to the incident. The investigation accused school officials of failing to search Ethan’s backpack when teachers discovered his disturbing and violent drawings. The shooting began after he was returned to class.
The investigation also found that the school board hindered staff cooperation with investigators. Oxford Community School did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Steve St. Juliana and other parents of those killed and injured in the incident filed lawsuits against the school. In March, an Oakland County judge dismissed several civil lawsuits against the school, affirming that the district and its employees are protected by governmental immunity, writing that Ethan himself “is the most immediate, effective, and direct cause of the injury or damage.”
However, Steve St. Juliana and his wife are working to ensure that the memory of their daughter and the other victims is not forgotten, as they are raising funds to create a memorial garden in a popular local park. Steve St. Juliana said he hopes to plant four cherry trees and small memorials of their lives.
Source: https://www.aol.com/child-commits-mass-shooting-blame-211125618.html
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