OXFORD, Mich. – The Detroit business owner who helped authorities locate and apprehend the parents of the Oxford High School shooter, who were wanted in the days following the shooting, took the stand Wednesday at the mother’s trial.
Luke Kirtley, owner of coffee consultancy and roaster Coffehaus in Detroit, was the person who identified where James and Jennifer Crumbley were staying as authorities across the state searched for them. Just days following the Oxford shooting on Nov. 30, 2021, the parents were both charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and were being pursued by law enforcement.
The charges against the parents were formally announced midday on Dec. 3, 2021, and the parents were arrested in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2021. Kirtley explained his role in locating the parents while on the witness stand at Jennifer Crumbley’s trial on Jan. 31.
Here are key takeaways from his testimony.
Surveillance video from behind building
Kirtley’s office is located in a building on Bellevue Street in Detroit. Officials said this industrial-style building housed several floors with multiple suites/rooms.
In the suite/room beside Kirtley’s office was an art studio that belonged to someone who was reportedly friends with the Oxford shooter’s parents. They were located in that space by police, and were found apparently sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
Police were alerted to that location when Kirtley identified the parents’ vehicle parked in the back of the building.
First, Kirtley said he saw a person walking toward a vehicle, a Kia, in the parking lot as he was pulling in. A surveillance camera set up in the back of the building shows a person walking outside, and then Kirtley pulling in.
After Kirtley got out of his car, he could be seen looking over at the vehicle before heading inside. Kirtley walked back outside shortly after, and could be seen approaching the Kia with his cellphone in hand.
The business owner told the courtroom that he was going outside to check the license plate on the Kia.
Kirtley could then be seen walking back into the building. He told the court he was “playing it cool,” as he walked back. From is office, he called 911 to report what he found.
Watch the surveillance video offered in court below.
911 call reporting parents’ car
After getting back into his office, Kirtley testified that he called 911 immediately to report that he found the parents of the Oxford shooter.
The call was placed at 10:43 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2021. He told the dispatcher that he saw a Kia in the parking lot that looked like the parents’ car and checked the license plate, and that it was a match for what law enforcement were looking for.
He could also be heard saying Jennifer Crumbley was sitting on the ground beside the car.
You can listen to the entire call in the video player down below.
Business owner’s full testimony
You can watch Kirtley’s full testimony from Jan. 31, 2024, below.