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Lawsuits filed against Oxford High School staff, officials after school shooting
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger announced two $100 million lawsuits against Oxford High School officials and staff, claiming they failed to prevent the school shooting.
OXFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - Attorney Geoffrey Fieger has filed two $100 million lawsuits against Oxford High School officials, claiming they had knowledge of threats before last week's deadly school shooting.
The lawsuits have been filed on behalf of one of the surviving victims and her sister, who was next to her when she was shot.
Read more Oxford HS shooting coverage here.
The school principal, district superintendent, the dean of students, two counselors, a staff member, and two teachers are named in the suits.
Fieger said during a press conference Thursday that all of those people are named because at this time it is unknown who did what.
"It’s a process of weeding them out," he said.
The suits allege that parents alerted school administrators about worrisome social media posts made by suspected shooter Ethan Crumbley before the shooting.
Related: Oxford HS addressed 'rumors' that 'created some concern' weeks before shooting
It is repeatedly noted that the school safety liaison officer apparently was not informed after Crumbley was allegedly caught searching for ammunition on his phone during class, leading to a meeting with him.
Ethan Robert Crumbley
The next day, the day of the shooting, Crumbley is accused of creating a violent drawing that was found on his desk.
The paper said, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me." In another section of the note was a drawing of a bullet with words: "Blood everywhere" and a person who appeared to have been shot and bleeding.
The note also read "my life is useless" and "the world is dead."
He was taken out of class, where school officials had a meeting with Crumbley and his parents. His parents were shown the drawing and advised to get their son into counseling within 24 hours.
"At Oxford High School they'll search your backpack if they think you're vaping. but they refused to search a student who wrote reams of homicidal notes and drawings," Fieger said.
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Attorney says school had right to search Oxford HS suspected shooter's backpack
An attorney who represents the rights of students says Oxford High School could have done more to help and possibly even prevent the tragedy that unfolded last week.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald said Crumbley's parents resisted taking their son home. So, he returned to class. Just before 1 p.m., he started shooting.
Crumbley, 15, is accused of killing four students at the Oakland County school Nov. 30.
Fieger said Crumbley was a danger to the school and shouldn't have been returned to class that day. The lawsuits repeatedly mention that school officials allegedly did not report Crumbley's conduct or their interactions with him before the shooting to law enforcement, including the school liaison officer.
Crumbley is charged with one count of terrorism, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm while committing a felony.
Fieger said that he wants to send a message by holding school officials accountable financially because he does not believe they will face charges.
"I wouldn’t do this for money if my life depended on it. What I need is justice and answers," he said.
FOX 2 has reached out to the district for a statement.
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Legal challenges ahead in wake of Oxford tragedy; Parkland lessons
The former mayor of Parkland Florida joins us to talk about her experience with a school shooting tragedy, while a legal panel in the second segment discusses the culpability of the school district in the Oxford tragedy.