Million-dollar bond as US school shooter parents plead not guilty

International Live: The parents of a 15-year-old who shot dead four students at a US high school with a gun bought by his father pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter Saturday, as a Michigan judge set a combined million-dollar bond for their release.

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley, were arrested overnight after police tracked them down in an industrial building in Detroit -- 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the shooting in Oxford.

The pair were considered fugitives  having reportedly withdrawn $4,000 in cash and switched off their phones -- although the Crumbleys' lawyers told the court their clients "were absolutely going to turn themselves in."

But Sheriff Michael Bouchard of Oakland County -- where the shooting took place -- told reporters during a news conference Saturday that it appeared the couple had help in "hiding" from police.

Four students, aged 14 to 17, were killed in the Tuesday shooting at Oxford
High School north of Detroit and six more were wounded, along with a teacher. The couple's son Ethan has been charged as an adult with state murder and terror charges, while his parents each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter -- each carrying a sentence of up to 15 years in jail.

In announcing charges against the boy's parents on Friday, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said the rare move was intended to "send the message" that gun owners have a responsibility. The Crumbleys are accused not only of supplying their son with a weapon, but of ignoring escalating warnings that he appeared to be on the brink of violence including on the day of the shooting.

According to police, Ethan Crumbley recorded a video on his cell phone the
night before the attack saying he was planning a shooting at the school the
next day, but it was not posted online. That same day, a teacher observed Ethan Crumbley searching for ammunition on his cell phone during class.

 

Dhaka, 05 December (campuslive24.com)//BSC

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