The search for the Michigan school shooting suspect’s parents

Jennifer and James Crumbley — the parents of the 15-year-old accused of killing four students at an Oxford, Michigan, high school earlier this week — are not yet in custody after prosecutors announced involuntary manslaughter charges against them earlier today.

The Crumbleys, who were scheduled to be arraigned at 4 p.m. ET today, are considered fugitives, according to Oakland County undersheriff Michael McCabe.

If you’re just reading in now, here’s what you need to know:

The US Marshals Service acknowledges it is working with the Oakland County Sheriff to help locate Jennifer and James Crumbley.?

The Crumbleys — the parents of the 15-year-old student accused of killing four people during a shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan — face involuntary manslaughter charges in the Tuesday shooting. Their son is charged with murder, terrorism and other charges in the shooting.

James Crumbley bought the semiautomatic handgun recovered in the attack four days before the shooting, the prosecutor said. She called the parents’ actions “egregious.”

Oakland County, Michigan, sheriff Michael Bouchard?said he did not know that charges were going to be filed against James and Jennifer Crumbley until he heard about it in the media.

“We didn’t know that charges were issued until we started hearing from the press that there was going to be a press conference?about charges,” he said in an interview with Hallie Jackson on MSNBC Friday.

When Jackson asked Bouchard if he was frustrated that he was not given notice about the charges, he said, “That’s an understatement.”

He continued, “We’re working on a relationship. The prosecutor is new. And we’re doing our best to make sure that these kinds of things and communication happens in a more fluid way. That’s the best I can tell you,” Bouchard said.

The Crumbleys — the parents of the 15-year-old student accused of killing four people during a shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan — face involuntary manslaughter charges in the Tuesday shooting. Their son is charged with murder, terrorism and other charges in the shooting.

James Crumbley bought the semiautomatic handgun recovered in the attack four days before the shooting, the prosecutor said. She called the parents’ actions “egregious.”

The Crumbleys are not yet in custody and considered fugitives, according to Oakland County undersheriff Michael McCabe.

The undersheriff is confident the couple will be found and it’s a “matter of when.”

Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Michigan high school shooting suspect, were scheduled to be arraigned at 4 p.m. ET today.

Earlier today, court administrator Amy Luce said that if they were not in court by 4:30 p.m. ET, there would be no arraignment today. If the Crumbley’s are taken into custody tomorrow, there could be an arraignment from Oakland County jail, as there will be no one at the courthouse tomorrow, according to Luce.

The Crumbleys face involuntary manslaughter charges in the Tuesday shooting at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan. Their 15-year-old son is charged with murder, terrorism and other charges in the shooting.

James Crumbley bought the semiautomatic handgun recovered in the attack four days before the shooting, the prosecutor said. She called the parents’ actions “egregious.”

Two attorneys working with Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Michigan school shooting suspect, say the couple left town on the night of the shooting “for their own safety” and are not fleeing.

“On Thursday night we contacted the Oakland County prosecutor to discuss this matter and to advise her that James and Jennifer Crumbley would be turning themselves in to be arraigned. Instead of communicating with us, the prosecutor held a press conference to announce charges,” attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman said in a statement.

If the Crumbleys?are not taken into custody and in court by 4:30 p.m., there will be no arraignment today, according to court administrator Amy Luce.

If they are taken into custody tomorrow, there could be an arraignment from Oakland County jail, as there will be no one at the courthouse tomorrow, Luce said.

Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the 15-year-old charged with murder in Tuesday’s school shooting in Michigan, may be driving in a black 2021 Kia Seltos SUV, the Oakland County Sheriff’s office announced.

The Crumbleys, who are missing, were charged Friday with four counts each of homicide involuntary manslaughter following the deadly school shooting. Their son is accused of killing four fellow students at the Oxford High School Tuesday.

Their car has the Michigan license plate number DQG 5203, officials said.

Earlier today, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard cautioned people against approaching the missing couple if they spot them.

When asked if Bouchard is concerned the couple may be armed, he acknowledged “anything is possible.”

Every available resource is dedicated to locating them, the sheriff said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has released images of Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Michigan school shooting suspect, as well as the vehicle they may be driving: a black 2021 Kia Seltos SUV with the Michigan license plate number DQG 5203.

They were each charged earlier Friday with four counts of homicide involuntary manslaughter.

Crumbley's patents are seen via a video call during their son's arraignment on December 1.

When asked if Ethan Crumbley’s parents are missing, Oakland County, Michigan, Sheriff Michael Bouchard told CNN that is “correct.”

“If they think they are going to get away, they are not,” Bouchard told CNN’s Victor Blackwell Friday.

Bouchard said officers are working with FBI partners and the?US Marshal Service. CNN has reached out to both for comment.

The Crumbleys’ attorney was working with law enforcement to make themselves available for arrest once charges were announced, according to the sheriff, who added that the couple is no longer communicating with the attorney.

When asked if Bouchard is concerned the couple may be armed, he acknowledged “anything is possible,” and he cautioned people should not approach the couple.

Every available resource is dedicated to locating them, the sheriff said.

The couple were not under surveillance until “it got closer to last night,” when charges were pending and detectives began the process of monitoring them. There was no early surveillance on them prior because no charges were pending.

Bouchard could not answer if the couple was in Michigan when they appeared by video during their son’s arraignment earlier this week.

When asked about the exact time his department last knew the location of the Crumbleys, the sheriff said, “I’d have to actually talk to?the detectives to find out where?they last communicated with them?or where they last had them. I?mean, this obviously just?recently happened.”

Police are currently searching for Michigan school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley’s parents just hours before they are scheduled to be arraigned on involuntary manslaughter charges, according to authorities.

The county prosecutor said his father bought the gun four days before it was used in the shooting. The suspect was with him and later posted on social media about the gun, calling it “my new beauty.”

In the wake of the school shooting at Oxford High School, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she is angry.

“I am angry.?I’m angry as a mother, as the?prosecutor, I’m angry as a person that?lives in this county,” she said, at a news conference where she announced charges against the parents of the suspected shooter.

She said that while there was a “perfectly executed response” by the school during the active shooting event, there were a lot of simple things that could have prevented the tragedy from happening.

She said, “I am not here to say that people shouldn’t own guns.” McDonald added that she hopes that the involuntary manslaughter charges send a message about the responsibility of gun ownership.

She added that looking at the evidence uncovered in the investigation so far, it’s the prosecutions position that “it’s impossible not to conclude that there was a reason to believe that he was going to hurt somebody.”

During a Friday news conference, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald detailed events leading up to charges of involuntary manslaughter against the parents of Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley.

McDonald called the actions of the parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, “egregious,” saying that “gun?owners have a responsibility.”

Four students died in Tuesday’s shooting.

Here’s a timeline of how the events unfolded, according to the prosecutor:

Read more about the charges against the parents here.

Oakland County, Michigan, Prosecutor Karen McDonald outlined some of the key events that took place on the day of the shooting.

A teacher of shooting suspect, Ethan Crumbley, found a note on his desk on the morning of the shooting that “alarmed her to the point?she took a picture of it on her?cell phone.”

She said the note included a drawing of a semiautomatic handgun pointing?at the words, “the?thoughts won’t stop, help me.” The note also included a section with a drawing of a bullet with the words “blood everywhere.”

The parents of the suspect “were immediately?summoned” to the school, McDonald said. The prosecutor noted that the suspect altered the note before it was retrieved by a counselor.

“At the meeting?James and Jennifer Crumbley were?shown the drawing and were?advised that they were required?to get the — their son into?counseling within 48 hours,” she said.

The prosecutor said the parents “failed to ask their son if he?had his gun with him or where?his gun was located and failed?to inspect his backpack for the?presence of the gun which he had?with him.”

The parents resisted the idea of their son leaving the school at that time and they left the school without him, she added. He was returned to the classroom.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald explained why she decided to file charges against the parents.

She added: “This doesn’t?just impact me as a?prosecutor and lawyer, it?impacts me as a mother.?The notion that a parent could?read those words and also know?that their son had access to a deadly?weapon that they gave him is?unconscionable. And I think it’s?criminal.”?

Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley’s parents are expected to be arraigned at 4 p.m. ET Friday on four counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Lt. Tim Willis, head of the special investigations unit at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, presented the charges to Judge Julie Nicholson, who?signed off on the charges.

Willis told reporters after the proceeding that law enforcement is planning to arrest the parents.??

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said charging the parents of the Michigan high school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter sends a message that “gun?owners have a responsibility.”

“When they fail to uphold that?responsibility, there are?serious and criminal?consequences.?As we work together to honor the?lives lost and all of those?impacted by the evil acts this?week, justice for the victims?and their families is at the?forefront of today’s?announcement.?We need to do better in this?country.?We need to say enough is enough?for our kids, our teachers,?parents, for all of us in this?community and the communities?across this nation,” McDonald said in a news conference.

McDonald said that anyone who had the opportunity to prevent the shooting at Oxford High School that resulted in four deaths should’ve done so.

She said the parents’ actions were “criminal.”

Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the suspected Michigan shooter, texted her son not to open fire at Oxford High School, according to Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

McDonald said James and Jennifer Crumbley met with school officials a few hours before the shooting about concerning behavior. The prosecutor said the parents left the school without their son and he returned to the classroom.

When the news of the active shooter had been made public, Jennifer Crumbley texted her son, “Ethan, don’t do it,” McDonald said.

Additionally, “James Crumbley?called 911 reporting that a gun?was missing from his house, and?he believed his son may be the?shooter,” McDonald said.

McDonald said the investigation found that the gun purchased by the shooter’s father was stored in an unlocked drawer in James and Jennifer’s bedroom.

After the Michigan shooting suspect, Ethan Crumbley, posted about his gun on social media, his mother, Jennifer Crumbley also created a social media post, saying her son was “testing out his new Christmas present,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said Friday as she announced the charges that her office is bringing against his parents.

When a teacher reported that Ethan Crumbley was found searching for ammunition on his phone during class on Nov. 29, his mother was contacted by school officials.

“Thereafter, Jennifer Crumbley?exchanged text messages about?the incident with her son on?that day, stating, ‘lol,?I’m not mad at you, you have to?learn not to get caught,’” McDonald added.

Correction: An earlier post incorrectly stated the date the suspect was reported searching for ammunition on his phone.

Oakland County, Michigan, Prosecutor Karen McDonald said that Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley was with his father while purchasing the gun that was used in the shooting.

“James Crumbley?purchased a Sig Sauer 9mm model SP 2022 from?Acme Shooting Goods in Oxford,?Michigan, on Nov. 26th, 2021.?A store employee confirms that?Ethan Crumbley was present with?James at the time of the?purchase,” McDonald announced.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald leaves after addressing the media in her office on Friday, December 3, 2021, in Pontiac, Michigan. McDonald filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, who is accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school.?

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said that her office is bringing charges against the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the 15-year-old accused of shooting several people at Oxford High School, to hold people accountable and prevent other events from happening in the future.

While the shooter was the one who entered the school and pulled the trigger, “there are other individuals who contributed to this,” McDonald said at a news conference on Friday.

The weapon authorities said was used in the shooting, a 9mm Sig Sauer SP2022 semiautomatic pistol, was purchased by Crumbley’s father on Friday, four days before shots rang out at the school.

McDonald said previously that means securing a gun properly, ensuring ammunition is kept separate, among other legal responsibilities.

Oakland County, Michigan, Prosecutor Karen McDonald is holding a news conference now after the parents of the shooting suspect, Ethan Crumbley, were charged with four counts of homicide involuntary manslaughter.?

The 15-year-old suspect has already been?charged as an adult with terrorism, murder and other counts in the Tuesday shooting that also left seven people wounded at Oxford High School north of Detroit.

The semiautomatic handgun recovered in the attack was bought by the suspect’s father on Nov. 26, four days before the shooting, the county sheriff has said.

Prosecutors are considering information regarding the purchase of the gun and its accessibility and storage, along with other details. The weapon is a 9mm Sig Sauer SP2022 pistol, authorities have said.

Accused Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley,?have each been charged with four counts of homicide involuntary manslaughter.?

The charges were filed in 52nd District Court in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Friday morning.?

There is a “strong possibility” the 15-year-old sophomore accused of?killing four fellow students?this week at a Michigan high school had the gun in his backpack when he met shortly before the shooting with administrators and his parents over his concerning behavior that day, the prosecutor in the case told CNN on Thursday night.

But at that point, no disciplinary action was warranted, the school district superintendent said Thursday.

Ethan Crumbley has been?charged as an adult with terrorism, murder and other counts in Tuesday’s shooting that also left seven people wounded at Oxford High School north of Detroit. It was the deadliest shooting at a US K-12 campus since 2018 and the 32nd such attack since Aug. 1.

The semiautomatic handgun recovered in the attack was bought by Crumbley’s father on Nov. 26, four days before the shooting, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard has said.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald is expected to announce Friday if charges will be filed against Crumbley’s parents, she told CNN. Prosecutors are considering information regarding the purchase of the gun and its accessibility and storage, along with other details.

The weapon is a 9mm Sig Sauer SP2022 pistol, authorities have said.

A photo of the pistol believed to have been used in the shooting was posted to an Instagram account days earlier, a law enforcement source with direct knowledge told CNN.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office believes the account belongs to Crumbley, the source said.

“Just got my new beauty today. SIG SAUER 9mm,” reads the caption under the post, which is no longer available online but was shared widely on social media.

Crumbley cannot legally own the weapon or take it outside the home, with few exceptions, like to a shooting range, Bouchard said Friday. A key question will concern how the teen got the gun — whether perhaps he broke into something to get it, for instance.

Crumbley’s defense attorney asked the court Wednesday to enter a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf. CNN has attempted to reach Crumbley’s parents and is trying to identify their attorney and a new attorney for their son.

The suspected Michigan high?school?shooter never left the building in between his meeting with?school?officials and when the?shooting?began, based on video surveillance inside the?school, the Oakland County sheriff said Friday.

“We have?to believe that he had the weapon either on his person in his backpack or somewhere secreted in that travel route and because the process never had him leaving the?school,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard told CNN New Day’s John Berman.

The sheriff also addressed an Instagram post CNN obtained where the suspect apparently refers to the gun as his.

Authorities previously said the suspect’s father bought the gun on black Friday.

The suspect is permitted to legally hold and possess a gun in some places, such as a gun range, private property, or within the home, Bouchard said.

“Not outside the house, they can’t legally own it either,” the sheriff said.?

As the investigation continues to turn toward how the suspect came into possession of the weapon, the sheriff weighed in on what potential legal jeopardy the parents could be in.

The prosecutor has indicated a potential charging decision could come at any time pertaining the parents?without specifying in detail what evidence they have.

“It’s a bit of a challenge obviously neither the parents or the suspect have been speaking with us,” he told Berman.

Authorities are endeavoring to answer questions, including “What process did he come into possession of the weapon that day? Was it given to him was it allowed to be picked up and taken freely at his discretion or was it stolen was it broken into something to be removed?”

When pressed on the?school’s actions surrounding the suspect’s “concerning” behavior, the sheriff reiterated, “We would have liked to have?been looped into that conversation either in the room or told about it immediately.”

“They may not have certain authorities or they might not have wanted to do certain things but that’s different for us we have a different role, a different process,” Bouchard said.

Meanwhile, authorities are investigating “hundreds and hundreds of threats” that have lead to closures at 60?schools in the wake of the fatal?shooting.

None of them have been verified “as anything that ultimately has any credibility” but as the sheriff noted all threats will be investigated thoroughly as “we can’t afford that one out of a hundred.”

Oakland County prosecutors will hold a new conference today to discuss whether they will be filing charges against the parents of the deadly Michigan school shooting suspect, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutor Karen McDonald will “hold a press conference to provide a status update regard the ongoing investigation relating to the shooting,” according to a release from the office.

The news conference is expected to start at noon.