Oxford High School shooting victims' parents demand accountability and reform
PONTIAC, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Frustrated with the lack of accountability following the Oxford High School shooting, the parents of Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Hana St. Juliana are spearheading a movement seeking reform.
"We want a full investigation, period," said Buck Myre, Tate Myre's father.
The failures surrounding the mass shooting at Oxford High School were highlighted in an independent review done by Guidepost Solutions. However, the parents of the four children who died on Nov. 30, 2021, want a state-level task force to investigate the incident thoroughly.
"The report has very clear conclusions. The school failed across the board at multiple levels. And yet, there hasn't been any admission of any wrongdoing from the school, not a single admission. There also hasn't been a single act of discipline," said Steve St. Juliana, Hana St. Juliana's father.
It's something they wish Attorney General Dana Nessel would have already done.
READ: James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter, found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
"What we've witnessed over the last two and a half years is the system, our government being able to hold the people accountable. So you got all three members of that family spending time in jail. And there was obvious failures at the school. And we can't hold the school accountable," Buck Myre said.
All four parents are frustrated with the governmental immunity shielding Oxford community schools.
"If they would stop hiding behind insurance companies, maybe we could actually get some answers. But right now they're running the show. And with in regards to the governmental immunity, they don't have to do anything, or say anything. And that's like kind of a crutch that they lean on," said Nicole Beausoleil, Madisyn Baldwin's mother.
READ: Jury finds Jennifer Crumbley guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter
And so they want to see state lawmakers create an agency to act on these recommendations:
- Investigate the response to the Oxford High School shooting
- Mandatory statewide threat assessment policies and procedures that are reinforced
- Legislation requiring independent investigations after any mass shootings
- Revise the terms of governmental immunity
"It's not a matter of if this happens, it's when this happens again," Steve St. Juliana said.
In a statement, Nessel's office wrote in part:
"Attorney General Nessel has met with individual family members multiple times both in public and private settings, and on multiple occasions with the broader affected community. She has met with the families and students in her office, hosted two townhalls in Oxford, and put effort toward hearing all who wanted her ear during these lengthy events. We understand the families are hurting and are understandably upset, but this does not change the law. The law falls short of their wishes here, in that we do not have the authority to fulfil a civil investigation in this way, nor a criminal investigation absent probable cause of criminal activity. She has heard the families, survivors, and victims, and will continue to listen to them. But this investigation request is not presently possible to fulfill."