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Who was Justin Shilling? Fourth student, 17, in Oxford school shooting dies

Tate Myre, 16, Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, are the other students killed in the shooting by suspect Ethan Crumbley

OXFORD, MICHIGAN: A 15-year-old boy shot four students dead and injured over seven people at a high school in Oxford, Michigan on Tuesday, November 30. The shooting has now left a fourth victim dead. Oakland County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Justin Shilling, 17, has died of his injuries. Tate Myre, 16, Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, were earlier killed in the attack.

The suspect has been identified as 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has announced charges against the suspect -- 4 counts of first-degree murder, 7 counts of assault with intent to murder, 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and 1 count of terrorism causing death.

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Who was Justin Shilling?

Justin Shilling was described by his employer as co-captain of the bowling team, and a devoted friend. Anita's Kitchen, where Shilling worked, shared a statement saying, "We’ve just learned of the passing of one of our bright, young Lake Orion employees, Justin Shilling, in relation to the tragic events that took place at Oxford High School yesterday. Justin was an exemplary employee, a devoted friend and co-worker, co-captain of his bowling team, and simply a pleasure to be around. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time." 

The family-owned business, which has three locations in Michigan and have employed many Oxford High School students, added: "Since we opened our doors in Lake Orion in December of 2019, much of our staff has consisted of Oxford High School students. We often marvel at how blessed we are to have such amazing kids as part of our Lake Orion team. Simply put - we would not be a restaurant without them. Our heart aches for them all today, as they begin to heal from this terrible tragedy. For over 40 years Anita’s Kitchen has been a family owned and operated restaurant, and today we lost one of our family members. We are deeply saddened. Our love goes out to the Shilling family, all of our grieving Oxford high schoolers, and the entire community."

Enraged social media users expressed their anger at the attack and said that their hearts go out to the victims' families. "We are very sorry to say that a 4th student, Justin Shilling aged 17, has today died from his injuries in the #OxfordHighSchool shooting yesterday. Our deepest sympathies to his family and friends from England. RIP Justin," one user wrote on Twitter. "May hana st juliana, madisyn baldwin, tate myre, and justin shilling all rest in peace. endless love and support to their families and friends, as well as all the other students and families from the school as well," another user said. 

"It’s chilling. It’s absolutely cold-hearted, murderous. Our forensic team was working all night. So far, I believe they’ve recovered over 30 shell casings. We believe he fired over 30 shots," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard speaking of Crumbley's crimes.

Bouchard has said that investigators are still trying to determine a motive behind the shooting at the high School in Oxford Township. The suspect's father reportedly bought the 9mm Sig Sauer that the accused used in the shooting on November 30. The suspect, Bouchard said, practiced shooting with gun and even shared pictures of it along with the target. Besides the ones who died, Bouchard said a teacher whose shoulder was grazed by a bullet has been discharged from the hospital. However, as many as seven students ranging in age from 14 to 17 are still in the hospital with serious gunshot wounds. A 14-year-old girl is reportedly on ventilator after undergoing a surgery.

Addressing the shocking shooting incident, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, "My heart goes out to the families. This is an unimaginable tragedy. I hope we can all rise to the occasion and wrap our arms around the families, the affected children and school personnel, and this community." She added, "I think this is every parent's worst nightmare."