OXFORD, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The pain of the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting at Oxford High School will never go away for the families of the victims, and neither will the calls for justice and investigations. That’s why families of victims and survivors from the Oxford High School shooting gathered at a press conference and demanded a new state-led investigation into the events leading up to the tragedy on November 30th, 2021.
Four students died and seven other people were injured when a now convicted teen gunman opened fire.
Nessel: “Why make the families ask?
However, Attorney General Dana Nessel is incensed that neither the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office nor the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office have reached out to her with a formal request or referral. In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Nessel directed her ire at Sheriff Michael Bouchard and Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald. “If that’s what [those departments want], ask us,” Nessel said. “Why make the families ask?”
McDonald: Nessel doesn’t need an invitation.
Meanwhile, McDonald is holding her ground. As reported by The Detroit News, McDonald penned an Oct. 9 legal opinion at the request of one murdered student’s father. The opinion outlines why Nessel’s investigatory division can open up an investigation using subpoena power without being asked by local authorities. McDonald also pointed to other instances, like the MSU Larry Nassar investigation and the Flint water crisis as examples of Nessel’s office stepping in without being asked.
The purpose of a new investigation.
Buck Myre, father of Tate Myre who died in the attack, said government officials need to shine a light on themselves.
“…You haven’t asked anybody any questions to evaluate yourself before, during or after, not one question to see how good of a job that you’re doing,” Myre said at the press conference. “So if you’re not interested in preventing gun violence and you’re not interested in supporting victims and communities after a gun violence tragedy, why do you exist?”
Steve St. Juliana, the father of slain student Hana St. Juliana, said the investigation they are calling for would “fill in the blanks” to find “data-driven” solutions. “This is about getting the truth out there to create the countermeasures to save our kids,” St. Juliana said.
Other court rulings.
The gunman’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are both serving 10 to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. They are the first parents in the country to be convicted in a case tied to a school shooting. Prosecutors showed both parents ignored their son’s cries for mental health help and refused to take their son home at the request of administrators hours before the shooting.
Last week, a judge cleared the way for the Oxford schools’ insurance company to pay $5 million dollars for each individual shooting and gunshot, with that total reaching an upwards of $55 million. Previously, the insurance company claimed the overall cap at $5 million.
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