The parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley opted not to take him out of school hours before the attack, despite warnings from school officals and being shown his violent drawings, according to a school counselor who took the stand at his father's trial.
James Crumbley, Ethan's father, is currently on trial for charges related to the mass shooting his son carried out. His trial follows his wife's, Jennifer, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2023 and became the first parent of a school shooter in the US to be convicted.
A security camera image of Crumbley with papers in his hand at Oxford High School was displayed in the courtroom for the jury, according to The Associated Press.
"My hope was that they were going to take him," Shawn Hopkins testified, "either take him to get help or even just, 'Let's have a good day. Let's have a day where we just spend time with you.'"
"I didn't want him left alone," the counselor added.
Crumbley, 47, is accused of neglecting to secure a firearm at home and overlooking signs of his son Ethan Crumbley's mental distress.
The 15-year-old later unleashed a shooting spree at the school on November 30, 2021, killing four students and injuring several more when he pulled out a gun from a backpack no one inspected prior.
On the trial's third day, prosecutors focused on the morning of the shooting.
The Crumbleys had met with school staff who confronted them with a drawing on Ethan's math assignment depicting a gun, blood, and a wounded person, along with phrases such as, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me. My life is useless," according to testimony from a counselor on Monday.
Hopkins said he scheduled the Crumbleys to come to the school that morning. He met with Ethan before their arrival, trying to gain insight into his troubled thoughts. Ethan told the counselor, "I can see why this looks bad. I'm not going to do" anything.
"I wanted him to get help as soon as possible, today if possible," Hopkins said. "I was told it wasn't possible."
In his testimony, Hopkins mentions expressing urgency to the parents for "movement within 48 hours" and considered contacting Michigan's child welfare agency if no action was taken.
The counselor stated that a day earlier, Jennifer Crumbley was notified by a teacher who witnessed Ethan searching for bullets on his phone.
Hopkins explained that Ethan wanted to stay in school that day, and the counselor saw it as a more secure option, especially if he might be alone at home while the Crumbleys were at work. Hopkins emphasized the decision had been made with only 90 minutes of information.
The counselor further revealed that James Crumbley did not object when his wife said they couldn't take Ethan home. He also mentioned no one had disclosed that a new gun had been purchased just four days earlier - one described by Ethan on social media as "my beauty."
However, he did express that the father seemed to take an interest in his son's welfare when discussing the drawings in question.
"He was talking to his son and mentioned, 'You have people you can talk to. You can talk to your counselor, you have your journal. We talk,'" Hopkins recalled. "It felt appropriate at that time, but my concern at that point was there wasn't any action."
Jurors now collectively understand that a simple step could have prevented the shooting.
Nick Ejak, who was in charge of student discipline, jokingly told a teacher about the heavy weight of the shooter's backpack when retrieving it from a classroom.
Had he actually opened the bag, he would have discovered the gun and ammunition.
Ejak claims Ethan's mental health was the concerning point rather than disciplinary issues. He believed he had no grounds to open the boy's bag.
"That's a fair statement," Ejak replied when defense attorney Mariell Lehman asked if he believed the boy was not a threat to others.
The AP notes this is the first case in the United States where the parents are charged with criminal liability for a mass school shooting committed by a child. Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of the same involuntary manslaughter charges last month, the outlet reported.
Ethan, now 17, is serving a life prison sentence for murder and terrorism.
