ETHAN Crumbley's fugitive father James made a 911 call 40 minutes after his son allegedly shot four people dead, and the two bought the gun together, according to authorities.
Both James and his wife Jennifer have been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the tragic shooting at Oxford high school in Michigan, and are currently on the run, the Oakland Sheriff's Department said on Friday.
Now it has emerged that when news of an active shooter at the school became public on Tuesday, James Crumbley called 911 to report a gun was missing from their home and that his son may have been the shooter.
Fifteen minutes before James called 911, Jennifer reportedly texted her son, "Ethan, don't do it."
But the gun rampage had already happened.
Oakland County Lt Tim Willis said in a press conference on Friday that 15-year-old Ethan and his dad James purchased the 9 mm Sig Sauer handgun from a shop four days before the shooting.
According to prosecutors, the gun was stored in an unlocked safe inside Jennifer and James' bedroom.
"I have tremendous compassion and empathy for parents who have children who are struggling and at risk for whatever reason," said Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald on Thursday. "But the facts of this are so egregious.
"The parents were the only individuals in the position to know the access to weapons," McDonald continued.
The gun "seems to have been just freely available to that individual."
Ethan reportedly got the weapon as an early Christmas present on the day after Thanksgiving.
The now-accused murderer, who will be tried as an adult, reportedly boasted about the weapon on social media, uploading a photo of it to Instagram and calling it his "new beauty."
The following day, Jennifer penned her own Instagram post detailing how she and Ethan had spent the day testing the new gun.
"Mom and son day testing out his new Christmas present," Jennifer is said to have written in the since-deleted post.
Three days later, on the morning of the shooting, a teacher at Oxford High summoned Jennifer and James to the school after finding a disturbing note on the teen's desk.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said the note included the drawing of a semi-automatic handgun pointing towards the words "the thoughts won't stop, help me," and "blood everywhere."
Also included in the sickening drawing was purportedly the body of a person who had been shot twice, along with a laughing emoji and the words "my life is useless" and "the world is dead."
Ethan was removed from the classroom and Jennifer and James were instructed to get their son counseling within 48 hours.
They allegedly pushed back against the suggestion of removing him from school for the rest of the day and instead Ethan returned to class.
SEARCH IS ON
A fugitive search team comprised of The United States Marshals Service and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office is currently searching for James and Jennifer.
A law enforcement official told CNN that James and Jennifer withdrew $4,000 from an ATM on Friday.
They reportedly used an ATM in Rochester Hills, about 15 miles away from Oxford.
The official added that police had previously been able to track the couple through their phones but can no longer do it because their cells have been turned off.
Steve Huber, a spokesperson for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, told The Daily Beast that the Crumbleys are "now considered fugitives."
The Crumbley's lawyer told the Daily Beast in a statement: "The Crumbleys left town on the night of the tragic shooting for their own safety.
"They are returning to the area to be arraigned. They are not fleeing from law enforcement despite recent comments in media reports."
However, Oakland police say they have not heard from the Crumbleys or their lawyer.
Jennifer and James were charged with involuntary manslaughter on Friday after prosecutors claimed their actions went "far beyond negligence" in the days prior to their son's deadly massacre.
They are believed to be driving a black 2021 Kia Seltos SUV with the Michigan license plate number DQG 5203, as reported by NewsNation's Brian Entin.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to call the Oakland County Sheriff's Office at 248-858-4911.
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