Message Shows Michigan School Shooter’s Dad Told Boy To ‘Suck It Up’ About Mental Health Struggles

The father of a Michigan school shooter who killed four students in 2021 missed an “incredible opportunity” to prevent the tragedy, prosecutors said Thursday as jurors heard opening statements in a trial that will determine whether a second parent will be held responsible for the attack.

“This case isn’t about bad parenting — it’s not illegal to be a bad parent. It’s not kids doing kid things,” assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said. “We’re talking about preventable mass murder.”

James Crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each teenager killed by Ethan Crumbley at Oxford High School. Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of the same charges last month.

Keast emphasized a series of key points for the jury. He noted that James Crumbley, accompanied by his son, bought a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun four days before the shooting.

The father never told school staff about the purchase — or a trip to a shooting range that same weekend — when he and his wife were summoned to discuss a disturbing drawing on Ethan’s math assignment on the day of the shooting.

Read more: AP