Oxford victims' parents after Crumbley verdict: We are 'not done fighting for change'
Parents of all four students killed in the Oxford High School shooting sounded off on the verdict late Thursday, calling it a "monumental decision," but they said more needs to be done when it comes to kids and guns, especially in schools.
Introduced by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald at a press conference less than hour after a jury found James Crumbley guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, Steve St. Juliana, Craig Shilling, Buck Myre and Nicole Beausoleil each spoke, many feeling emotional in the verdict's aftermath.
St. Juliana, whose daughter Hana died in the shooting, said they are not done fighting for change.
“These are just the beginning steps," he said. "There is so much more that absolutely must be done. It’s crazy the way that our society is currently reacting to this. Our children are dying on a daily basis in mass murders. And we do very little about it. We complain about second amendment rights, or we say there’s not enough money for mental health issues.”
Shilling, St. Juliana, and Beausoleil attended Crumbley's trial every day. Craig Shilling, whose son, Justin, died, even took a leave of absence from work to attend Jennifer Crumbley's trial. He said he can’t say enough about the importance of what they just went through, the two trials.
“It’s a monumental decision, and the verdict was the same," Shilling said. "I believe moving forward it’s very important as a society to set the right example for our children and future generations and come together and use our power of emotion. We can push forward. We can get through the difficulties of life together if we try.
"We have to move forward. We’ve put much behind us but there’s still so much there in front of us."
Nicole Beausoleil, Madisyn Baldwin's mother, thanked prosecutors and the three other families with children who were killed. She said she didn’t wish to have to make these friendships the way she did, but the families have become her best friends.
“The friendships that I’ve made with these families are friendships that I wish I didn’t have to make the way I did, but they are some of my best friends, and I thank them more than they will ever know," she said.
To parents, McDonald said they are obligated to use ordinary, reasonable care and have a duty to other kids in that school and the community.
"I stood here two and a half years ago. This started with one question: where’d he get that gun? And how did he get it?" McDonald said. "And that’s a question that every single one of us, as mothers and fathers, asked."
Myre, Tate Myre's father, said he'd now like to see Oxford school officials held accountable. Several victims' families are pursuing civil litigation against Oxford schools.
"We’ve taken care of three legs of Nov. 30, and there’s still a fourth leg, and that’s the school," he said. "It’s time for the school to pony up. It’s time to break up that administration country club, and it’s time for change. Because we've got four kids here, dead, and nobody wants to take any accountability. That needs to start tomorrow."