OXFORD, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she’s been in communication with Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald about her concerns and frustration involving the school shooting at Oxford High School.
The Attorney General said these types of investigations are perfect for her office.
“When the superintendent specifically indicated that they were looking at having a third part investigate -- frankly I can think of no agency that is better situated to preform such an investigation than the Michigan Department of the Attorney of Attorney General,” said Nessel.
Nessel made it quite clear that her team is ready and willing to step in to conduct a full comprehensive investigation of the events leading to Wednesday’s tragic shooting at Oxford High.
“We’re not there to protect or persecute anyone. We’re just there to find out what the truth is. Then, we can better understand what happened, why it happened,” said Nessel.
The first part of the investigation would be looking into if any policies are protocol were not followed, and would be a step further than the investigation conducted by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.
Read more: Oxford schools defend decision to send suspected shooter back to class, launches outside probe
“We’re not looking to redo the sheriff’s department’s investigation. It would be a much broader investigation. They have jurisdiction over criminal liability, but it’s not their job to look into if any civil laws were broken,” said Nessel.
The next step will be talking to parents about any potential red flags that may have popped up along the way.
“I plan on having a meeting with the parents to find out exactly what there concerns are. The things that they heard about, or the things that they were worried about, or their concerns. So, I want to hear from them,” said Nessel.
Lastly, Attorney General Nessel is hoping this use this tragedy as a learning experience going forward.
“Clearly we have not just the resources available, but we have the institutional knowledge for this type of investigation,” said Nessel. “Not just Oxford community schools, but for all schools around the state of Michigan, so that we can use this horrific tragedy as a learning experience to do better and to make sure this doesn’t happen elsewhere in our state.”
If given the opportunity to conduct the investigation, the AG said it will allow her team to make recommendations for any legislative changes that can prevent this type of situation in the future.
Full coverage: Oxford High School Shooting