Oxford HS Shooter Texted Mom Minutes Before Attack: New Details

PONTIAC, MI — Ethan Crumbley texted his mom "I love you" minutes before he fatally shot four fellow students and wounded seven other people at Oxford High School, according to court documents.

The 17-page opinion released Thursday by the Michigan Court of Appeals revealed new details in the moments leading up to the deadly shooting that included text exchanges between Ethan and his mother, Jennifer Crumbley.

On the morning of Nov. 30, 2021, Jennifer and James Crumbley met with school counselors about disturbing behavior from their son Ethan, who was also at the meeting, according to court documents.

School officials were concerned after a teacher found Ethan's work sheet with drawings of a gun and the words "Blood everywhere," "The thoughts won't stop" and "Help me," according to court documents.

When the couple walked into the counselor's office, they did not greet, touch or hug Ethan, which counselor Shawn Hopkins called "bizarre," according to court documents.

After raising concerns about Ethan's mental health, school officials asked the couple to take their son home, but the parents responded by asking if Ethan could stay in school because they had to work, according to court documents.

"During the nearly 15-minute meeting, Jennifer did not speak to (Ethan). James, on the other hand, expressed to EC that he had people with whom he could talk, including defendants, and encouraged EC to write in his journal," a judge wrote.

When the meeting ended, however, neither school officials nor the parents asked to look at Ethan's journal or to look inside his backpack, "which contained his journal and the SIG Sauer," a judge wrote. Instead, he was sent back to class.

Roughly two minutes after the leaving the school, Jennifer texted the owner of a barn about a horse-riding session later that day, and asked if she could bring her son to the lesson because he "can’t be left alone," according to court documents.

James Crumbley, on the other hand, logged onto DoorDash and accepted his first delivery job at 11 a.m., just four minutes after the meeting with counselors, according to court documents.

Counselor's advised the parents get their son mental health help within the next 48 hours.

According to the court, Jennifer Crumbley then began exchanging texts with Ethan moments before the deadly shooting:

• 12:21 p.m.: Jennifer texted Ethan asking if he was OK.
• Around 12:21 p.m.: Ethan responded, saying he was OK and had just finished lunch.
• Around 12:21 p.m.: Jennifer texted, "you know you can talk to us and we won’t judge."
• 12:45 p.m.: Ethan responded, "(I know) thank you. I’m sorry for that. I love you."

Roughly seven minutes later, at 12:52 p.m., Ethan walked out of the Oxford High School boy's bathroom and began firing shots.

The shooting was over at 12:58 p.m., and four students were dead and seven other people were injured, according to court documents.

When Jennifer received an alert about an active shooter at Oxford High School, she started screaming, the court said.

• 1:18 p.m.: Jennifer texted Ethan, "I love you too," and "you ok?"
• 1:22 p.m.: Jennifer texted Ethan, "Don’t do it"
• 1:23 p.m.: Jennifer texted a co-worker saying, "the gun is gone and so are the bullets."

"Jennifer then called James and, while sounding frantic, said she was attempting to get to the school and expressed concern that (the shooter) was going to commit suicide and that (her son) 'must be the shooter,'" according to court documents.

At 1:34 p.m., James Crumbley called 911 and said he believed his son was the Oxford shooter because his gun and ammunition were missing from home, according to court documents.

There have also been court discussions about whether Ethan had easy access to the handgun he used in the shooting.

Police searched the Crumbley's home and found the gun case for the SIG Sauer, which was used in the shooting, in the parent's bedroom, according to court documents.

Detectives also found an open safe and an empty box of 9 mm ammunition on the bed, and a locked gun safe in a dresser drawer in the parent's bedroom, according to court documents.

There was also a safe with a three-digit combination lock, which was set as "000," that contained James Crumbley’s other two guns, according to court documents.

All the gun locks found in the house were still in their original packaging, and detectives did not find any broken locks or a lock that someone tampered with, according to court documents.

In Ethan's bedroom, detectives found paper gun targets from a gun range on the walls, spent shell casings, folding knives, a notebook with detailed drawings of guns and the feces of a small animal on top of a nightstand, according to court documents.

Thursday's groundbreaking ruling determined prosecutors have enough evidence to bring charges against the couple. Each parent was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly school shooting. A trial date has not been scheduled.

Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including four counts of murder, one count of terrorism, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony. He could be sentenced in early June.