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What Oxford shooter’s father said to son at counselor meeting on day of shooting

Counselor testifies on day 3 of father’s manslaughter trial

Oakland County Sheriff officers bring James Crumbley into the Oakland County Courtroom on Monday, March 11, 2024, in Pontiac, Mich. Crumbley is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in his 15-year-old son's killing of four students at Oxford High School. (Daniel Mears/Detroit News via AP, Pool) (Daniel Mears)

OXFORD, Mich. – Much of the third day of testimony at the trial of the Oxford High School shooter’s father focused heavily on what occurred the morning of the massacre, including what the father said at a meeting with a counselor.

Shawn Hopkins, an Oxford High School counselor currently on leave, took the stand Monday at James Crumbley’s involuntary manslaughter trial. Testifying for the third time in the Oxford shooting case, Hopkins once again went over the details of a meeting he had with the shooter’s parents just hours before the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting.

Hopkins, the shooter’s assigned counselor, walked the jury through his interactions with the shooter in the weeks leading up to the mass killing, which left four students dead and seven other people injured. After teachers had alerted him to potentially concerning behavior from the shooter, Hopkins decided to hold a meeting with the shooter and his parents the morning of Nov. 30, 2021.

---> More: What we learned about Oxford counselor’s meeting with parents, shooter amid mother’s trial

What happened during that meeting has long been public knowledge, thanks to multiple testimonies from Hopkins and Nicholas Ejak, the former dean of students who was also in the meeting. Hopkins called the shooter’s mother and asked her to come to the school and meet with him that day.

James Crumbley was also present for the meeting, though the mother initially told Hopkins that the father wouldn’t make it.

At the meeting, James Crumbley sat in a chair next to his son in front of Hopkins’ desk. The group discussed how the shooter was having a difficult time with the loss of a friend, a family member, and a family pet, in addition to struggling with the COVID pandemic.

The group also discussed the now-infamous math worksheet on which the shooter drew violent images and messages on the morning of the shooting. It was seen by a teacher and other school staff, and shared with the parents before and during the meeting.

Hopkins said James Crumbley was looking at the physical worksheet and talking about it with his son during the meeting. The father said to the shooter, “You have people you can talk to. You can talk to your counselor, you have your journal; we talk,” Hopkins testified Monday.

The shooter had a journal in which he explicitly described his plans and desire to carry out a mass shooting at his school. Journal entries also focused on how the shooter allegedly asked his parents for mental health help, but was denied. Defense attorneys maintain the parents had no knowledge of this journal, though Hopkins’ testimony indicates the father knew about at least one journal.

The counselor went on to say Monday that he didn’t recall James providing any additional details on the subject. The parents were ultimately urged to get the shooter help with his mental health that day, if possible, but they declined and said they had to go back to work.

---> James Crumbley not stopping home on day of Oxford shooting is big deal to prosecutors

When the meeting reportedly ended with the mother asking if they were done, there wasn’t any protest from the shooter’s father, Hopkins said.

The counselor has maintained that his primary concern at that time was the shooter’s wellbeing, particularly because the shooter displayed suicidal ideation, Hopkins said. Yet, the shooter told the counselor something to the effect of, “I can see why this looks bad. I’m not going to do anything,” Hopkins testified Monday.

Hopkins said he didn’t want the shooter to be alone, so when it was clear his parents weren’t taking him home, the shooter was allowed to return to class. Former dean Ejak has repeatedly made clear that there was no disciplinary reason to send the shooter home.

---> Prosecutor: James Crumbley had easiest opportunity to prevent Oxford shooting

The shooter would go on to fire a 9 mm handgun in the hallways of the school a few hours later. Four students were murdered, while six students and one teacher were injured.

The now-17-year-old shooter was sentenced in December 2023 to life in prison without the chance for parole. He was convicted of 24 felony crimes as an adult, including first-degree murder and terrorism.

His father, James Crumbley, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the four students murdered that day: 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana; 16-year-old Tate Myre; 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin; and 17-year-old Justin Shilling. His wife stood trial on the same charges earlier this year. She was found guilty of all four counts.

Hopkins’ full testimony

You can watch counselor Hopkins’ entire testimony from March 11, 2024, below.


---> Defense implies James Crumbley wasn’t legally required to lock gun used in Oxford shooting

---> More James Crumbley trial coverage here


About the Author
Cassidy Johncox headshot

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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