The alleged parents of the Michigan school tycoon arrested by Reuters were wanted

(Reuters) – The parents of a Michigan teenager were arrested on Saturday on charges of killing four high school students on charges of four counts of manslaughter in connection with the mass shooting on campus and a day later.

Authorities began searching for James and Jennifer Crumbley after Oakland County prosecutors announced allegations Friday that Crumbley bought their son a gun as a Christmas present and then ignored warning signs that he could have announced the massacre.

Detroit police said Saturday morning that the couple had been arrested.

Police found the two in “what looked like a residential building,” Detroit police spokesman Rudy Harper said.

“We arrested them,” Harper said, asking if his parents had surrendered.

The couple’s 15-year-old son, Ethan Crumbley, is without bail and has been charged as an adult on Tuesday with the deadliest shooting of a 2021 U.S. school shooting at Oxford High School, 40 miles (60 km) north. Detroit.

Crumbley’s parents were expected to appear at a trial Friday afternoon, but were unable to respond to calls from attorneys.

When they did not show up, he said the U.S. Marshals Service had taken the case and was investigating with Oakland County officials.

“Running away and ignoring their attorney certainly adds weight to the charges,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Friday. “They cannot escape from this tragedy.”

However, parents’ attorneys said they intended to return to the hearing on Friday.

“They’re not running away from law enforcement,” said attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman.

GUN PURCHASE

Four days before the shooting, Ethan and his father went to a gun shop where James Crumbley bought a 9mm pistol, prosecutors said.

Ethan posted photos of the gun on social media and wrote, “Today I got my new beauty.” The next day, her mother reported that the two were “trying on their new Christmas present,” said Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald.

McDonald said he had other warning signs that his parents had not acted on.

On November 21, a teacher found Ethan Crumbley on his phone looking for ammunition. His mother later sent him a message: “LOL, I’m not angry with you. You have to learn not to get caught.”

On the morning of the shooting, a teacher found Ethan Crumbley’s drawings depicting a gun, a bullet and a bloody image next to the words “Blood everywhere”, “My life is useless” and “Thoughts will not stop”. – help. ”

School officials called Crumbley and ordered Ethan to join the counseling within 48 hours, McDonald said. The parents “did not resist” the idea of ​​taking their son home from school and did not search his backpack or ask for a gun, he said.

After Crumbley was left childless at the meeting, Ethan Crumbley returned to class and then came out of the bathroom with a gun, killing four students and injuring seven others, authorities said.