Parents Found Guilty in First US Mass Shooting Committed by Child

Oxford High School, Michigan United States of America
On March 15, 2024, a jury in Michigan found both James and Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the Oxford High School shooting that occurred on November 30, 2021. The shooter was Ethan Crumbley who used a SIG Sauer 9mm gun to kill four students and wound six others, including his mother.
This marks the first time parents have been held directly responsible for a mass shooting committed by their child in the United States.
Parents Found Guilty in First US Mass Shooting Committed by Child

On March 15, 2024, a jury in Michigan found both James and Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the Oxford High School shooting that occurred on November 30, 2021. The shooter was Ethan Crumbley who used a SIG Sauer 9mm gun to kill four students and wound six others, including his mother. This marks the first time parents have been held directly responsible for a mass shooting committed by their child in the United States.


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Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • It's not clear if there were any other factors that contributed to this tragedy.

Sources

83%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Jurors found both a school shooter’s father and mother guilty of manslaughter. Here’s what the verdicts mean for parents

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Dalia Faheid, Friday, 15 March 2024 05:52
  • Unique Points
    • James Crumbley bought a SIG Sauer 9mm gun for his son four days before the attack.
    • Ethan Crumbley used the SIG Sauer 9mm weapon to kill four students and wound six students and a teacher at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.
  • Accuracy
    • The shooting could have been prevented if James or Jennifer Crumbley had listened to a school counselor's recommendation and taken their son out of school the day of the shooting, or if they had mentioned to school employees they had just purchased him a gun.
  • Deception (90%)
    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it presents the verdicts as a groundbreaking precedent when they are not. The parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter and found guilty of four counts each, but this has happened before in other cases where parents have been held liable for their child's actions. Secondly, the article implies that James Crumbley was grossly negligent by buying his son a gun and failing to secure it properly. However, there is no evidence presented in the trial transcripts or articles cited to support this claim. Thirdly, the article quotes prosecutor Karen McDonald saying that finding James Crumbley guilty of gross negligence would not result in criminal charges for every parent who doesn't know what their child is doing at all times. However, this statement contradicts the idea presented earlier in the article that parents can be held accountable for their children's actions and should take reasonable care to prevent foreseeable danger.
    • The article presents James Crumbley as grossly negligent by buying his son a gun and failing to secure it properly. However, there is no evidence presented in the trial transcripts or articles cited to support this claim.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (85%)
    The article reports on the guilty verdicts of James and Jennifer Crumbley for involuntary manslaughter in connection with their son's school shooting. The parents were found to be grossly negligent in failing to secure a gun they purchased for their son, ignoring his spiraling mental health, and not taking reasonable care to prevent foreseeable danger. The article also discusses the potential precedent-setting nature of this case and how it could impact future prosecutions involving parents of school shooters.
    • Ethan Crumbley used the SIG Sauer 9mm weapon to kill four students and wound six students and a teacher at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021
      • James Crumbley was accused of not only buying his son a weapon but also failing to properly secure it and ignoring his mental health maladies
        • The parents were found guilty for gross negligence in failing to secure a gun they purchased for their son
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
          The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of James Crumbley as they are reporting on his involuntary manslaughter charges and gross negligence. The article also mentions that Shawn Hopkins, an Oxford High School counselor who recommended taking Ethan out of school the day before the shooting or mentioning to school employees he had just purchased him a gun, was charged with gross negligence.
          • The article mentions that Shawn Hopkins, an Oxford High School counselor who recommended taking Ethan out of school the day before the shooting or mentioning to school employees he had just purchased him a gun, was charged with gross negligence.
            • The author reports on James Crumbley's involuntary manslaughter charges and gross negligence.

            33%

            The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
            (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

            A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

            Crumbley parents charged in mass shooting

            CBS News Site: https://www.cbsnews.com/articles/about-us/ CBS Texas Friday, 15 March 2024 11:40
            • Unique Points
              • James Crumbley, whose teenage son killed four students in a Michigan high school shooting back in 2021, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
              • Jennifer Crumbley was already convicted of the same charge in a separate trial last month. They are the first parents in the U.S. to be charged in a mass shooting that was committed by their child.
            • Accuracy
              • James Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a case that experts say could set an important precedent for the extent to which parents of school shooters can be held responsible.
              • The shooting could have been prevented if James or Jennifer Crumbley had listened to a school counselor's recommendation and taken their son out of school the day of the shooting, or if they had mentioned to school employees they had just purchased him a gun.
            • Deception (0%)
              The article is deceptive in that it implies the parents are guilty of a crime they did not commit. The title and body both state that James Crumbley was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for his son's actions, but this is incorrect as he has yet to be tried.
              • The article states 'James Crumbley, whose teenage son killed four students in a Michigan high school shooting back in 2021, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.' This statement implies that James is guilty when he has yet to be tried.
            • Fallacies (0%)
              The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that James and Jennifer Crumbley are the first parents in the U.S. to be charged in a mass shooting committed by their child.
              • ]James and Jennifer Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for allowing their teenage son, Ethan Crumbley, to carry out a deadly rampage at Oxford High School in Michigan. They are the first parents in the U.S. to be charged in a mass shooting that was committed by their child.
            • Bias (0%)
              The article is biased towards the parents being charged in a mass shooting that was committed by their child. The author uses language such as 'James Crumbley, whose teenage son killed four students in a Michigan high school shooting back in 2021', which implies that James and Jennifer are responsible for the actions of their son.
              • James Crumbley, whose teenage son killed four students
                • The author uses language such as 'James Crumbley, whose teenage son killed four students in a Michigan high school shooting back in 2021'
                • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication

                83%

                The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                Father of Michigan school shooter found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

                theguardian.com Article URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/13/ pakistan-·coalition-·agrees-to-form-government Friday, 15 March 2024 01:00
                • Unique Points
                  • James Crumbley bought a SIG Sauer 9mm gun for his son four days before the attack.
                  • Ethan's mother Jennifer Crumbley was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in February.
                • Accuracy
                  No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
                • Deception (50%)
                  The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it implies that James Crumbley was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the actions of his son Ethan when he himself did not pull the trigger or directly cause any harm to anyone. However, prosecutors argued that James had a legal duty to protect others from possible harm by his son and failed in doing so. Secondly, it is stated that Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her role in Ethan's actions but the article does not provide any evidence or details about her involvement. Lastly, the article uses sensationalism to create headlines by stating that James and Jennifer are the first US parents to be charged with having responsibility for a mass school shooting by a child which is misleading as it implies they were directly responsible for Ethan's actions.
                  • The gun was not safely secured at the Crumbley home. Although Michigan did not have a storage law at that time, James Crumbley had a legal duty to protect others from possible harm by his son.
                • Fallacies (85%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Bias (85%)
                  The article is biased towards the idea that parents of school shooters should be held criminally responsible for their actions. The author uses language such as 'raising the prospect that parents of future school shooters will also face trial in American courts' and 'holding those who enable gun violence accountable'. This creates a sense of urgency to punish these individuals, rather than focusing on preventing further incidents from occurring.
                  • The article is biased towards the idea that parents of school shooters should be held criminally responsible for their actions.
                    • The author uses language such as 'raising the prospect that parents of future school shooters will also face trial in American courts' and 'holding those who enable gun violence accountable'.
                    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication