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Families of Oxford victims, members of community want independent investigation
Three years since the tragic Oxford shooting, there are renewed calls for another investigation.
OXFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - In the latest step to increase transparency after the Oxford High School shooting, Oakland County's response to the shooting will undergo an independent review.
The county announced Monday that Guidepost Solutions will review the response after the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved $500,000 in funding for this independent review.
"Oakland County unanimously supported funding for the Oxford High School shooting after-action report," said Chair David T. Woodward (D-Royal Oak). "These tragedies are something we hope to never encounter. But when they do occur, we have a duty and responsibility to review and evaluate our collective response. The goal is simple: learn and improve so we can make our community safer."
Guidepost, which also conducted a review of the school district's handling of the deadly shooting, will review numerous aspects of the response, including:
- Command and coordination: Governance, organizational structure, and interagency collaboration.
- First responder actions: Law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management protocols.
- Mental health and recovery: Community and first responder support services.
- Communications: Public messaging, 9-1-1 operations, and interagency information sharing.
- Training and preparedness: Evaluation of pre-incident training and recommendations for future improvements.
As part of the process, Guidepost will conduct town halls, listening sessions, and interviews with those impacted by the shooting - including victims, their families, and first responders.
The review's findings are expected to be shared in mid-2025.
Oxford High School shooting independent report: 'District failed to provide safe environment'
"Our investigation has revealed that had proper threat assessment guidelines been in place and District threat assessment policy followed, this tragedy was avoidable," the report said.
Families call for investigation
The county review comes as the families of the four students killed on Nov. 30, 2021 continue to call for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to review the shooting.
Parents of Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling spoke last month, demanding an investigation into the shooting, with the goal of implementing changes.
"It's been three years since the shooting, and we haven’t implemented any real change," said Buck Myre, Tate's father. "Don’t we want to learn from this?"
Nessel did offer to investigate the shooting twice, but the school board rejected both of her offers, saying that it would use "more holistic third-party reviews."
After those offers were turned down, the shooting was investigated by Guidepost Solutions, who put the blame on the school district.
"In certain critical areas, individuals at every level of the district, from the board to the Superintendent and his cabinet, to the OHS administration and staff, failed to provide a safe and secure environment," the report said.
Despite the result of this investigation, the family members argue that there wasn't subpoena power behind that deep dive, which resulted "in many school employees being advised by their attorneys to not participate, leaving crucial questions unanswered."
Nessel addressed the claim that her office can investigate the shooting, saying that she needs a referral from local authorities, including the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office and Sheriff's Department, in order to begin investigating the case.
According to Nessel, if she investigated the case, she would have the same authority that the Oakland County officials had. Because of this, an investigation performed by her office would most likely come to the same conclusions as other investigations that have been completed, she said.
"Any complete investigation by my office would require a number of things," Nessel said. "Oakland County would have to turn over their over 400 pieces of evidence admitted in the prosecution against the Crumbley family, as well as all of their evidence from their years-long investigation and prosecutions."
'Get the job done': Families of Oxford High School shooting victims demand state-led investigation
Family members of Oxford High School shooting victims, including the parents of the four students killed – Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling – are calling on the state to mandate an independent investigation into what led to the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting.