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'Strong possibility' Ethan Crumbley had gun in bag at behavioral meet before shooting

Prosecutor Karen McDonald said there's a "very strong possibility" that Ethan Crumbley carried pistol to meeting between parents and school officials

OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley, who opened fire on the school's premises on November 30 and killed four students and wounded several others, was probably carrying the gun in his bag during the meeting between his parents and school officials about his behavior. This was just hours before the rampage, a prosecutor said on Thursday, December 2.

According to Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, there's a "very strong possibility" that Crumbley, 15, was carrying the 9mm Sig Sauer SP 2022 pistol that his dad had bought on Black Friday, during that Tuesday meeting on November 30, with his parents and school officials earlier on the day of the shooting. "I think that it's already been public that he did have the weapon. During COVID, they don't use lockers, so they just have backpacks," McDonald told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday. Crumbley was charged as an adult on Wednesday, December 1, with terrorism, murder, and other counts in connection to the Michigan school shooting. 

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Elaborating on the chain of events that allowed Crumbley to start shooting and killing moments later, McDonald added: "The event that caused the teacher concern and that had the school officials bring parents to school was — it's hard to look at that, what was produced at that meeting, and everybody looked at, it's very hard to look at that and say that there was no concern. And unfortunately, he was allowed to get back to class. And we now know he had a weapon with him at that time. And that is simply tragic. And it's my job to hold people accountable who violate the law. And that's all I can say right now." Law enforcement previously described the shooting as "absolutely cold-hearted" and "premeditated."

Teachers complained about Crumbley

In the hours and days leading upto the 15-year-old's actions, behavioral reports suggested that a number of teachers noticed that Crumbley's behavior was concerning. On Monday "a teacher in the classroom where he was a student saw and heard something that she felt was disturbing," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told CNN's 'New Day.' Then, the very next day — just hours before the shooting — a "different teacher in a different classroom saw some behavior that they felt was concerning, and they brought the child down to an office, had a meeting with school officials, called in the parents, and ultimately it was determined that he could go back into class. And they had a counseling session about it with school officials, and a phone call was left with the parents," Bouchard said. 

As of Friday, December 3, the exact reason for those behavioral reports and meetings have not yet been released by authorities. Bouchard declined to detail what the teachers' concerns were, but added that his department was "never informed of either meeting prior to the shooting or that there were any concerns about behavior." The police are also looking into why Crumbley was allowed to return to class on November 30. Bouchard said: "That will all be part of the investigation, in terms of what they thought, and why they thought that that was the right step."

The sheriff declined to speculate as to whether that information could have prevented the shooting. Crumbley opened fire outside a school bathroom before moving through a hallway at a 'methodical pace,' according to prosecutors. Before surrendering, he accessed classrooms, where he took aim and shot at students' heads and chests.