Oxford High School shooting: Judge orders release of surveillance video

OXFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - A judge ordered Wednesday that surveillance video from the Oxford High School shooting be released.

Read more Oxford shooting updates here.

Attorney Ven Johnson, who is representing victims, demanded the videos and took the matter to court.

Judge Rae Lee Chabot ruled that Johnson can have access to the videos to see what happened on Nov. 30, 2021.

"It's a victory for our clients," Johnson said. "They have an absolute right to these materials."

Johnson has filed civil lawsuits against the Oxford school district, as well as against accused shooter Ethan Crumbley and his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley.

Related: Oxford parents file federal lawsuit against district

Ethan Crumbley is accused of killing four classmates inside the school with a gun officials say he got from his parents. 

"I'm talking about people's lives. I'm talking about kids going to school who were murdered, and I'm talking about folks who are trying to make the parents and the families of all of these people, to hide from them the truth, and I find that highly disturbing," Johnson said. "When you think about government hiding things from the victims, to be there's just absolutely no explanation for that."

The fatal shooting has prompted several lawsuits, as well as criminal trials. Ethan and the Crumbley parents are all headed to trial later this year.

More: Prosecutor says shooting evidence shouldn't be tossed from trial

As the cases progress, many questions remain about the shooting, and what could have been done to prevent it. 

After the district again rejected Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's offer to investigate the shooting last month, it said it will use "more holistic third-party reviews" to look at the district's three-year plan.

Read: Oxford parents, students question school board's plans for investigation

"We have no alternative but to move forward in terms of the civil cases and prove, that what everybody already knows, and that is that Oxford is in part responsible for this tragedy, so that it never happens again," Johnson said after that offer was rejected.

According to the district, the ongoing criminal cases stemming from the shooting have delayed the release of information that could help the review. Because of this, the school board said the third-party review won't happen until after the Crumbley trials.

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s office released a statement saying it "will seek to intervene" in an effort to stop the release of the documents and video citing concerns about the impact on the criminal trials and "giving the Oxford school shooter the notoriety he sought." Writing in part:

"The civil cases are also an important part of achieving justice for the victims, but we are asking that the criminal cases be allowed to proceed before more evidence is released.

"We want to avoid any public release of video or other evidence that could inadvertently encourage future shooters."

 FOX 2 asked a representative of the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office what intervening will look like and if they’ve already taken legal action to prevent the release of the documents and video - we’re still waiting to hear back.