The parents of the teen accused of killing four students at a Michigan high school were arrested in a Detroit basement early Saturday morning after spending hours evading police, according to multiple reports.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were found after a search that began around noon Friday, when they were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the shooting deaths at Oxford High School.
Their son Ethan Crumbley, 15, faces numerous charges including four counts of murder as well as terrorism in connection to Tuesday’s shooting.
Read more:
Michigan school shooting suspect’s parents charged with involuntary manslaughter
The Detroit Free Press and the Washington Post, among other outlets reported the elder Crumbleys were found in the basement of a building in the city’s east side in the early morning hours, after the building’s owner identified the couple’s vehicle outside.
“The owner of the building arrived and saw the car in the back parking lot, knew it didn’t belong there, went to investigate,” Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe told the Free Press.
McCabe said the couple were due to be transported to the Oakland County Jail where they would be arraigned.
Late Friday, the U.S. Marshals Service announced a reward of up to $10,000 each for information leading to the Crumbleys’ arrest.
The Marshals had joined the search for the couple along with the FBI and Michigan State Police. Details about the Crumbleys’ vehicle were released to the public, which matched the description of the vehicle the Detroit building owner found.
Detroit Police and Michigan State Police soon descended on the area with SWAT teams and several other units, according to media reports.
Earlier Friday, the couple’s lawyer Shannon Smith had insisted her clients were not on the run and had left town earlier in the week “for their own safety.”
“They are returning to the area to be arraigned,” Smith told The Associated Press.
However, Smith had told police that she was unable to contact the parents.
Read more:
Michigan school official defends not disciplining suspect hours before fatal shooting
While announcing the charges Friday, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said James and Jennifer Crumbley committed “egregious” acts, from buying a gun on Black Friday and making it available to Ethan Crumbley to resisting his removal from school when they were summoned a few hours before the shooting.
Under Michigan law, the involuntary manslaughter charge filed against the parents can be pursued if authorities believe someone contributed to a situation where there was a high chance of harm or death.
More to come…
–With files from the Associated Press