Topline
An attorney representing the parents of Oxford High School shooting victims alleged Wednesday an armed security guard at the Detroit-area school failed to stop last November’s shooting, partly because she initially believed it was a drill—as the parents seek to add the guard as a defendant in a lawsuit against the school.
OXFORD, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 03: A memorial outside of Oxford High School continues to grow on … [+]
Key Facts
Attorney Ven Johnson said in a press conference that surveillance video depicts Oxford High School security guard Kimberly Potts opening the door of the bathroom where alleged shooter Ethan Crumbley was committing the attack, before walking away.
Johnson claimed Potts looked into the bathroom moments before student Justin Shilling was shot—one day later, Shilling died of his injuries in the hospital.
The attorney said Potts later told investigators she walked past another student who had been shot, believing he was wearing makeup as part of a shooting drill (the student, 16-year-old Tate Myre, died in the shooting).
Johnson also claims Potts—who is no longer employed by the district—failed to activate her body camera while roaming the school.
Johnson says he filed a motion to add the security guard as a defendant in a lawsuit against the district brought by the families of Shilling, Myer and four students who survived the shooting, claiming the district failed to intervene when the shooter displayed disturbing signs of suicidal ideation.
Forbes has reached out to Oxford Community Schools for comment.
Key Background
Four students died in the November shooting, and six students and one teacher were injured. The 17-year-old alleged shooter was charged with 24 counts of murder and terrorism, and his parents were also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, but have argued their son was fully responsible. Law enforcement officials have faced scrutiny for their handling of school shootings in the past, most notably after the Robb Elementary School School shooting in Texas in May, during which police waited more than an hour before confronting the shooter.
