Father of Michigan School Shooter Convicted of Manslaughter

Facts

James Crumbley, the father of the 15-year-old Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, has been convicted of manslaughter and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9.¹
Ethan Crumbley killed four students and injured seven others at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, with a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun James bought him just days before the shooting.²
During the five-day trial, prosecutors said that by not securing the gun safely at home, James had failed to fulfill his legal duty to protect others from possible harm by his son.³
They added that James was 'grossly negligent' because he ignored his son's deteriorating mental health and bought him a handgun without taking 'reasonable care' to prevent imminent danger.⁴
James and his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, who was convicted on the same charges in a separate trial last month, are the first parents in the US to be directly prosecuted for the deaths caused by their child in a mass shooting.⁵
While his parents each face a maximum of 15 years in prison, Ethan is serving a sentence of life in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty in Oct. 2022.⁶

Narrative A, as provided by Washington Post. Ethan's father has been convicted not for what he did but for what he didn't do. Involuntary manslaughter charges against the Crumbleys could set the precedent that facilitators of a heinous crime — be it the parents of a mass shooter — will be held criminally liable. It's one more step towards holding everyone responsible under the law and dealing with gun violence, which has become an epidemic in the US. The case also serves as a wake-up call for parents to better secure weapons in their homes.
Narrative B, as provided by Time. The prosecution's case lacked evidence and was based on assumptions and hindsight. There's no evidence to suggest that James Crumbley had any idea that his son was a threat or having a hard time. Moreover, prosecutors couldn't prove he was aware Ethan knew where to find the gun at home or could foresee that his son would carry out a mass shooting. 'Punish the parents' laws have been tried many times throughout American history, none of which ultimately reduced crime. This verdict could return the country to those tragic and failed policies.