Parents Of Michigan School Shooter Charged

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The parents of the 15-year-old Michigan school shooter are now facing charges of their own.

On Friday (December 3), the Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald filed charges against gunman Ethan Crumbley's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley.

According to reports, the Crumbley's are facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter each after their son took a semiautomatic handgun to school on Tuesday (November 30) and opened fire in the hallway, killing four students.

Investigators later revealed Crumbley's parents were contacted by school officials about behavioral issues teachers reported just hours before the tragic shooting. Specifically, on November 21 a teacher saw Ethan searching ammunition on his cellphone during class and reported it to administrators.

Jennifer was contacted via voicemail and email about the alarming and inappropriate internet search, but school officials never heard back from either parent.

However, Jennifer exchanged text messages with her son about the incident on that same day that read, "LOL. I'm not mad at you. You have to learn how to not get caught."

After news of the shooting broke, McDonald said Jennifer Crumbley sent a text to her son that reportedly read, "Ethan, don't do it."

James Crumbley, meanwhile, saw the alert about the active shooter on campus and immediately drove home to check to see if his gun was still there.

McDonald said during a press conference that Ethan was with his father when the gun was purchased just four days before the shooting.

Update: The FBI, US Marshals and local authorities are now searching for James and Jennifer Crumbley. Both are wanted fugitives as law enforcement agents "use all available resources" to locate the accused gunman's parents.

Law enforcement said they didn't have a surveillance on the couple because they didn't have a search warrant to do so.

Some legal experts have pointed out that the couple were watching their son's court proceedings from a car on Wednesday (December 1) and have previously not been cooperative with authorities.

The sheriff told CNN an attorney for the parents said they haven't responded since the charges were first announced.

Reading about trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available: 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264

The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001

For more mental health resources, click HERE

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