Parents of Michigan school shooter to face charges

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that James and Jennifer Crumbley will be tried for multiple involuntary manslaughter charges after their then-15-year-old son Ethan shot and killed four classmates in 2021. State prosecutors accuse the couple of making a gun available to Ethan and ignoring his mental health needs. The couple’s attorneys insist the shooting could not have been anticipated. However, the couple met with school staff on the day of the shooting about their son’s violent drawings. Ethan pleaded guilty to all charges against him last year and will be sentenced in December.

Have other parents been punished for their children's gun crimes? Parents of mass shooters are rarely held responsible for their children’s crimes. However, parents and guardians are sometimes held responsible for child gun crimes. For instance, Virginia mother Deja Taylor pleaded guilty to felony child neglect in August after her 6-year-old son shot his teacher in January. On Monday, an 11-year-old Florida boy shot two teenagers at a football practice, and law enforcement said the boy’s mother could face a misdemeanor charge.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Dunn’s report in Schooled on families lobbying for school safety after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville.