Eli Crumbley: Ethan Crumbley's brother calls him a 'happy kid' who was NOT bullied
Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley's older half-brother Eli Crumbley has expressed his shock at his younger step sibling's sudden decision to cause a massacre at school. Eli, who is 18 years old, has always known Ethan,15, to be an 'average, happy kid' who secured good grades in class and enjoyed Minecraft like any normal teenager. Moreover, Eli has also stated that Ethan was not a victim of bullying as a child, contrary to the popular belief among the public.
Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old sophomore student at Oxford High School in Michigan, opened fire on his classmates on November 30, with a high-powered handgun his father had gifted him. The mass shooting incident left four students dead and injured seven more, including a teacher. He was nabbed by the local police soon afterward and is being charged as an adult terrorist. Now, his older brother has weighed in on Ethan, sharing how he always seemed like a normal, happy kid, incapable of executing a crime so severe.
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Eli and Ethan Crumbley shared the same father, James R Crumbley but were born to different mothers. They initially resided in Michigan with their father and Ethan's mother Jennifer. However, Eli hinted at some family trouble which later prompted him to move out and stay with his biological mother in Florida. "It mostly had to do with the relationship between my stepmother and I. It wasn't as great as it could be. Moving back to Florida was the best option for me," Eli said.
Speaking about Ethan, Eli told DailyMail, "'The Ethan I knew was just a smart boy who just seemed like an average kid. There was nothing that ever stood out to me. He'd never get suspended from school, or detention."
Eli further added, "He didn't suffer depression or anything like that. He woke up happy, went to school, came home, and played games." He did not interact with his stepbrother or his father in the past two months. However, the news of the Oxford shooting left him concerned about Ethan without knowing that he could be the shooter. "'I was worried, I wanted to see if Ethan was okay because I knew he went there," said Eli, who also attended the same school for a year. "And then that's when I was receiving information otherwise," he continued.
Sharing about his past memories of Ethan, Eli said, "As far as I knew, Ethan was always good. He was just quiet, kept to himself, kept his circle of friends small. He was a clean kid, didn't smoke or do drugs, nothing. And he got good grades. He wanted to be an archeologist."
"When I was living there, nothing seemed off. We'd just walk to the bus stop in the morning, go to school, come home, maybe play some football outside or basketball. We'd just chill, wouldn't do much. I didn't know he had a gun till after this happened. It's still hard to believe. I can't believe it," the 18-year-old remarked.
Eli also revealed that Ethan had lost his aunt a few months back, followed by the death of his pet dog Tank recently. Yet, Eli found it difficult to process what could have prompted his younger sibling to go rogue. "I really don't know what his reasoning was behind this. I would like to talk to him, but I don't think that's something that's going to happen for a while," Eli said.