Michigan School Shooting Suspect Wrote About Murdering Classmates In Journal Found In His Backpack
The signs were all there
Photo: Oakland County Sheriff's Office For days, the nation has been heartbroken that another deadly school shooting has been added to the devastating statistics of gun violence in American schools.
Four students have died as a result of the attack at Oxford High School on Tuesday, and several more are seriously injured.
This horrific attack has left so many people, especially those who have lost loved ones, reeling and wondering how nobody could have seen something coming so devastating.
But as police investigate the suspect for the incident, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, an Oxford High School sophomore, they are uncovering more and more evidence that fill in his story and his motives, including his own journal.
At Crumbley’s arraignment, the police and prosecution described some of their evidence that the attack was premediated.
One of the most incriminating pieces of evidence might be his journal, which was reportedly found in his own backpack.
What was in Ethan Crumbley's journal?
According to Lt. Tim Willis of the Oakland County Sheriff’s office, the journal was found in Crumbley's backpack that expressed plans to commit a shooting at his school.
The journal contained notes “detailing his desire to shoot up the school, to include murdering students,” according to Willis.
While it was found in his backpack, it is not clear if he had been bringing it to school before the incident, but it is a depressing thought to think that he could have been walking around with all the proof they needed to keep this from happening.
The journal’s specific contents have not been released, and it is not hard to imagine why. The summary is upsetting enough, let alone for those who have been directly impacted by this attack.
Other evidence suggests the Oxford school shooting was preventable.
Possibly just as disturbing as his journal was the threatening videos that were recovered from his phone.
They contained similar messages to that of his journal, according to Willis, there were, “two separate videos recovered from Ethan’s cellphone made by him the night before the incident, wherein he talked about shooting and killing students the next day at Oxford High School.”
On top of that, there was reportedly a social media post that Crumbley himself uploaded — a photo of the handgun he used for the incident — on his Instagram before the event took place.
According to Oakland County’s prosecutor, Karen McDonald, there is also further “troubling and disturbing” evidence that they have stated they cannot yet make public.
We also know is that Crumbley was exhibiting troubling behavior that the school was aware of.
He and his parents had been in a meeting with administrators discussing his behavior on the day of the shooting.
That morning, Crumbley had allegedly been seen drawing a picture on his desk depicting a handgun, bullet and shooting victim, with the words "blood everywhere" and "the thoughts won't stop, help me."
Afterwards, however, he was sent back to class.
Many are criticizing Oxford High School and the Oakland Sherriff's Department.
Seeing the number of threats and unsettling signs that was uncovered in the days that followed the shooting, many are wondering how the authorities and school administrators did not see the imminent threat nor act against it before lives were lost.
While we already know the school had been receiving cryptic threats that threatened their safety — despite Oxford High School reportedly claiming their safety was not in jeopardy in a schoolwide email — the signs of premeditation were plentiful.
While Oxford High School remained in session, some students chose to stay home on the day of the shooting, due to recent threats of circling the internet, among other signs.
Overall, at this point in the U.S.’s history with gun violence in schools, the threats could have been taken much more seriously, and if they had been, so much might have turned out differently.
While it is good to know that the state is having no difficulty building a strong case to prosecute him, many of us are wondering why students had to die before it was taken this seriously.
Amanda Hartmann is a writer and editorial intern at YourTango that writes on entertainment and news.