Fugitive parents of US school shooting suspect arrested after manhunt
- James and Jennifer Crumbley were found hiding in Detroit, after a prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges against them
- They are accused of failing to intervene before their son Ethan, 15, allegedly killed four students in a school shooting in Michigan
The parents of a teen accused of killing four students in a shooting at Oxford High School were found hiding in a Detroit building early on Saturday, several hours after a prosecutor filed involuntary manslaughter charges against them, US officials said.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were captured in a commercial building that housed artwork, Detroit police chief James E. White said at a news conference.
They were arraigned later on Saturday, with a judge imposing a combined US$1 million bond. The couple entered not guilty pleas to each of the four involuntary manslaughter counts against them during a hearing held on Zoom.
The Crumbleys’ lawyer, Shannon Smith, said on Friday that the pair had left town earlier in the week “for their own safety” and would be returning to Oxford to face charges. “Our clients are just as devastated as everyone else,” Smith said.
But White seemed to dismiss the possibility that was their intention. “This isn’t indicative of turning yourself in – hiding in a warehouse.” White said the couple “were aided in getting into the building”, and that a person who helped them may also face charges.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said the couple took US$4,000 out of an ATM not far from law enforcement or court locations they could have reported to, suggesting they could not be trusted to appear for future court hearings. “These are not people we can be sure will return to court on their own,” she said.