OXFORD, Mich. – Defense attorneys on Friday implied that the father of the Oxford High School shooter, who’s on trial for involuntary manslaughter, wasn’t legally required to lock up the handgun used in the shooting, potentially offering a glimpse into their trial strategy.
Four days before the Nov. 30, 2021, mass shooting, James Crumbley purchased a 9mm handgun from a gun store with his son in tow. Prosecutors have long alleged that Crumbley bought the handgun specifically as a gift for his son, who had an infatuation with guns and violence.
An office manager from that gun store said the handgun sold to Crumbley came with a cable lock for safe storage. Crumbley also signed trigger lock statement during his purchase, which confirms the firearm was sold with a trigger lock or a securable storage container, manager Cammy Back testified on Friday, March 8.
You can see an example of a trigger lock statement down below.
But defense attorney Mariell Lehman clarified for the jury that Crumbley didn’t sign any documents indicating he would actually use the cable lock to secure the gun case, which wasn’t securable on its own. She also pointed out that, at the time of the shooting, no laws were in place requiring James Crumbley -- or any gun owner -- to use a trigger lock or otherwise secure a gun stored in the home.
Back agreed with those statements. A safe storage gun law was signed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, but not until 2023. The law, requiring certain gun owners to store their guns unloaded and locked, took effect this February.
When redirecting the witness, Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast asked Back who bears the responsibility of keeping a gun safe. Back said the gun owner is responsible for keeping it safe.
James Crumbley’s trial is expected to focus heavily on the murder weapon, since he was the one to buy it -- and since Jennifer Crumbley, his wife, essentially placed all gun-related responsibilities on her husband during her trial. Jennifer Crumbley said she didn’t really ever handle the family’s three firearms, saying she left that responsibility to James Crumbley.
Jennifer Crumbley stood trial earlier this year on the same four involuntary manslaughter charges brought against James Crumbley. She was found guilty in February. The jury forewoman said then that one of the major factors behind the guilty verdict was that Jennifer Crumbley was the last known person to handle the murder weapon before the shooter did.
At least, that’s what the evidence showed them during Jennifer’s trial. Jennifer Crumbley took the shooter to the gun range with the 9mm handgun a few days before the shooting took place. She could be seen on surveillance video walking out of the shooting range with the gun case in hand.
Jennifer Crumbley testified that she left the gun in the trunk of her vehicle, and that James Crumbley took the gun out of the car and put it away inside the house when he got home from work that day. She didn’t see him do it, however -- Jennifer said her husband told her that he took care of it.
The forewoman said the evidence pointed to Jennifer Crumbley being the last known adult to have possession of the gun used days later in the Oxford shooting. That fact really “hammered home” the jury’s decision, the forewoman said.
It’s unknown if James Crumbley will testify in his own defense at his trial to clear up the matter.
Prosecutors did get approved to call the previous gun owner to the stand, if they want to. The prosecution said the previous owner -- who sold the firearm back to the store where James Crumbley later bought it -- could offer insight on the condition of the gun and the cable lock when he returned it.
Example of trigger lock statement
Here’s a blank copy of a trigger lock statement, courtesy of the Michigan State Police.
Watch: Cammy Back’s complete testimony
Office manager Cammy Back testified at James Crumbley’s trial on Friday, March 8. You can watch her on the stand in the video below.
---> James Crumbley not stopping home on day of Oxford shooting is big deal to prosecutors