Michigan School Shooting: 15-Year-Old Charged As Adult, Suspect’s Chilling Journal Retrieved As 4th Student Dies

The 15-year-old suspect in Tuesday’s mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan has been charged as an adult, authorities said Wednesday, as it was confirmed that a fourth student died after the deadly shooting.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said the suspect, identified as Ethan Crumbley, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and one count of terrorism causing death, CBS News reported.

In his Wednesday court appearance, Crumbley pleaded not guilty to the charges but prosecutors said the teen “methodically and deliberately walked down the hallway aiming the firearm at students and firing.”

A motive for the shooting has yet to be announced, but authorities said Wednesday that a journal from Crumbley’s backpack has been recovered, The Detroit News reported.

Lt. Tim Willis of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said Crumbley wrote in the journal about “his desire to shoot up the school to include murdering students.” Furthermore, authorities retrieved Crumbley’s cell phone from his home. The cell phone had two separate videos recorded Monday that detailed his plans for Tuesday’s attack.

Willis told 52nd District Court Judge Nancy Carniak before Crumbley’s arraignment that the suspect “talked about shooting and killing students the next day at Oxford High School.” Videos from the scene showed students trying to escape through windows during the shooting.

Meanwhile, police officials confirmed Wednesday that 17-year-old Justin Shilling, another victim in the shooting, had passed away, increasing the number of casualties in the mass shooting to four, ABC News reported.

The other three deceased students were identified as Madisyn Baldwin, 17, Tate Myre, 16, and Hana St. Juliana, 14. The sheriff’s office said four injured victims were still at the hospital Wednesday, three other injured victims were discharged, and a 17-year-old who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest remains in critical condition.

Authorities further revealed that several hours before the shooting, Crumbley appeared with his parents before concerned school officials who called in the teen's parents "for behavior in the classroom that was troubling," Associated Press reported. Crumbley remained in school after the meeting. Hours later, the shooting took place.

Prosecutors are looking to potentially charge both of Crumbley’s parents after it was revealed that the firearm used in the shooting was purchased by the boy’s father Friday. A Wednesday poll by NBC affiliate KGET-TV found that many parents believe there should be “stricter punishments for parents who fail to secure their guns.” At least 355 of the respondents agreed to stricter consequences, while only 51 people disagreed.

Following the shooting, Michigan Democrats are pushing for gun control in the state. Senators Brenda Carter and Rosemary Bayer called for revisiting “commonsense gun safety legislation” in the wake of the tragedy, adding that “the time for action is imminent because this tragedy should never happen again in Michigan.”