Editing Ethan Crumbley (section)

===Before the shooting===
A former neighbor told the Detroit Free Press that, in 2014 and 2015, Crumbley's parents [[James & Jennifer Crumbley|Jennifer and James]] often left their son home alone and without a phone while frequenting bars in downtown Lake Orion. The neighbor became so concerned that she filed an anonymous complaint via phone to the state's child protective services agency, but she did not know if any action was taken.

According to prosecutors, Crumbley's only friend moved away at the end of October 2021, and the family dog died, causing him to become depressed. As early as March 2021, he started sending his mother "disturbing texts about his state of mind", which included claims about "demons" and "ghosts" inside the home.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2022/01/08/michigan-school-shooter-texted-mom-about-demons-prosecutor/ Prosecutor: Michigan school shooting suspect texted mom about demons, ghosts], ''New York Post''</ref> He also reportedly videotaped himself [[torture|torturing]] animals, made Molotov cocktails, and drew a sketch of himself committing a school shooting, which he also joked about with a friend via text message. At one point, Crumbley allegedly kept a baby bird's head in a jar, which he later placed in a school bathroom.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2022/01/11/ethan-crumbley-brought-ammo-birds-head-to-school-before-shooting/ Ethan Crumbley brought ammo, bird’s head to school ahead of massacre: lawsuit], ''New York Post''</ref> His parents allegedly never sought therapy for him after any of those incidents.

Police said there was no indication that Crumbley had faced any disciplinary issues prior to the shooting, but Crumbley was reported to have met with school officials the day prior to the shooting, and again early on the day of the shooting, to discuss his behavior. 

Prosecutor Karen McDonald later provided a timeline regarding the meetings. The first meeting occurred after a teacher spotted Crumbley using his phone to search for ammunition and reported him. During the discussion, Crumbley told them that he and his mother Jennifer had recently traveled to a shooting range and that "shooting sports are a family hobby." School officials left a voicemail and email for Jennifer Crumbley; she did not respond, but she later texted her son, saying, "LOL I'm not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught."<ref>[https://www.detroitnews.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.detroitnews.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Foakland-county%2F2022%2F02%2F24%2Foxford-shooting-ethan-crumbley-four-chilling-revelations%2F6927558001%2F Four chilling revelations on a plot to kill students at Oxford], ''The Detroit News''</ref>

The second meeting occurred after another teacher found a violent drawing on Crumbley's desk, described by McDonald in a press conference as a drawing of a semiautomatic handgun, pointing at the words, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me." In another section of the note was a drawing of a bullet, with the following words above that bullet: "Blood everywhere." Between the drawing of the gun and the bullet is a drawing of a person who appears to have been shot twice and bleeding. Below that figure is a drawing of a laughing emoji. Further down the drawing are the words, "My life is useless." And to the right of that are the words, "The world is dead."<ref>[https://nypost.com/2021/12/24/michigan-school-shooter-ethan-crumbleys-drawings-revealed-in-chilling-documents/ Drawings made by Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley revealed in chilling documents], ''New York Post''</ref>

The teacher took a photo of the drawing, which was on a math worksheet, and reported Crumbley. He was taken to a guidance counselor's office, where school staff called Crumbley's parents over. While waiting for them, school counselors did not observe any behavior from Crumbley that indicated he might harm others, according to the superintendent of Oxford Community Schools, which includes Oxford High School.

Upon their arrival, Crumbley's parents were shown the drawing – which Crumbley had scribbled over by that point in an attempt to conceal its contents – and instructed to seek counseling for their son within 48 hours, otherwise the school would call child protective services. They "resisted the idea" of Crumbley leaving the school at the time and did not inform school officials that they had recently purchased a gun for him. He was returned to class because he had no prior disciplinary issues. According to McDonald, Crumbley had the weapon he used somewhere on the school grounds at the time of that meeting.