Teenage gunman pleads guilty to all charges in Michigan school shooting

On Monday, Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to all 24 charges brought against him in response to the killing of four students and wounding of seven others at a Michigan high school last year. These charges include one count of terrorism causing death and four counts of first-degree murder.

On November 30, Crumbley fatally shot four students at Oxford High School. If sentenced on May 8, he will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.

16-year-old defendant answered affirmatively when asked by the court if he killed each slain victim, who were all identified by name.

On the day of the mass shooting, Crumbley got a gun from an unlocked container in his home, hid it in his backpack and pulled it out of his bag in a bathroom before opening fire on his schoolmates. Wearing an orange jumpsuit and with a medical mask below his chin, he confirmed this story to reporters.

The victims were identified as 14-year-old James Craig and 15-year-olds Cooper Caffrey, Drew Pritchard and Jared Black. All four were students at Walled Lake Central High School.

Crumbley is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Kelley Kostin set Crumbley’s bond at $10 million cash or surety and ordered him to have no contact with the victims’ families or any witness in the case. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 2.

The shooting occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 21, just as classes were getting underway at Walled Lake Central High School. Police say Crumbley opened fire in a boys’ bathroom, killing four students and injuring a fifth before being subdued by school staff members.

The fifth victim, 15-year-old Joshua Marry show, was treated and released from the hospital the same day. He spoke at a news conference Thursday afternoon, saying he’s “extremely lucky to be alive.”

Marry show said he was in the bathroom when Crumbley came in and immediately started shooting. He was hit three times – once each in the arm, leg and back.

“I just remember hearing the gunshots and then I was on the floor,” Marry show said. “I couldn’t really move much because I was in so much pain. I just tried to play dead basically.”

Marry show credited a school resource officer with saving his life, saying the officer applied a tourniquet to his leg wound and helped keep him calm until paramedics arrived.