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State and county officials not on same page as Oxford shooting victims look for answers

Nearly three years after a teenager killed four of his classmates in a shooting at Oxford High School, victims’ families are still looking for answers.

They want a review of how school officials acted leading up to the shooting, calling on Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, to do so this week.

Steve St. Juliana’s daughter, Hana, was among those killed in the Oxford High School attack. He says further action is needed to prevent future school shootings.

“This is about getting the truth out there,” says St. Juliana, “to create the counter measures to save our kids. This is not about identifying people to prosecute.”

The families are frustrated that a state review of procedures around the 2021 shooting has not taken place. They say they’ve had a hard time getting answers from the Oakland County prosecutor and state attorney general — accusing Nessel of retracting an offer to investigate over lack of probable cause.

Oxford High School shooting victim's families call for action
Buck Myre (lower left) and Steve St. Juliana (lower right) speak to the media, calling for a state investigation into the 2021 Oxford High School Shooting.

Speaking to the media, Nessel countered that her offer to review has always been on the table.

“Now these offers were made to the school board and to the criminal investigation and prosecutions being handled by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and prosecutor. Our involvement on both fronts was soundly rejected,” she said.

While Nessel says she remains willing to help, she isn’t sure why Oakland County officials are now pointing the case at her.

“My authorities are not expansive beyond those that are already held by the county prosecutor and sheriff, who currently have the investigation, and have investigated this matter thoroughly for years and years now,” she said.

Nessel says her office can’t investigate without a referral from local authorities. She says she’s confused by Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard appearing in support of the Oxford family’s call to action, arguing that she’d need information from him to move forward.

In a statement, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she’s unaware of any action needed by her office to involve the attorney general.

Oxford families say they’re tired of the finger pointing.

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The post State and county officials not on same page as Oxford shooting victims look for answers appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Shooting at Eastern Market leaves 2 dead after Lions game

DETROIT (AP) — A second person has died from a shooting at an Eastern Market  tailgate event after a Detroit Lions game, police said Monday.

A fight broke out around 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Eastern Market, an open-air gathering spot, police Chief James White said. Tampa Bay had just defeated the Lions nearby at Ford Field, 20-16.

“I don’t know all the details to it, but anytime that somebody loses their life, that’s a tragic thing,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday.

The fight escalated when one person pulled out a gun and fired at least two rounds. Police officers in the area responded to the shooting, arrested the suspected shooter and recovered two handguns, White said.

“Tailgating, drinking and guns — they don’t mix,” White told reporters Sunday.

The victims were described as Detroit men, one in his 40s and another in his 20s. A suspect from Oak Park was in custody.

White said the confrontation began with a larger fight that broke up after a few minutes.

“They reconvened a few feet away from where the initial fight started,” the chief said. “The two fighters put up their hands like they were about to fight each other. … One of the people in the fight, a male from Oak Park, pulls out a gun and fires at least twice.”

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4 dead, at least 9 injured in shooting at high school near Atlanta, authorities say

WINDER, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that four people were killed and at least nine were injured in a shooting at a high school outside of Atlanta.

Students scrambled for shelter in the football stadium as officers swarmed the campus and parents raced to find out if their children were safe.

Authorities say a suspect is in custody.

“What you see behind us is an evil thing,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said at a brief news conference outside Apalachee High School. He declined to give details about casualties, or about the suspect.

Jacob King, a sophomore football player, said he had dozed off in his world history class after a morning practice when he heard about 10 gunshots.

King said he didn’t believe the shooting was real until he heard an officer yelling at someone to put down their gun. King said when his class was led out, he saw officers shielding what appeared to be an injured student.

Ashley Enoh was at home Wednesday morning when she got a text from her brother, who’s a senior at Apalachee High School:

“Just so you know, I love you,” he texted her.

When she asked in the family group chat what was going on, he said there was a shooter at the school. Enoh’s younger sister, a junior at the school, said she had heard about the shooter and that everything was on lockdown.

Few details were immediately available from authorities, who were dispatched shortly before 10:30 a.m. to respond to an “active shooting,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“Casualties have been reported, however details on the number or their conditions is not available at this time,” the statement added.

Helicopter video from WSB-TV showed dozens of law enforcement and emergency vehicles surrounding the school in Barrow County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.

When Erin Clark, 42, received a text from her son Ethan, a senior at the high school, that there was an active shooter, she rushed from her job at the Amazon warehouse to the school. The two texted “I love you,” and Clark said she prayed for her son as she drove to the high school.

With the main road blocked to the school, Clark parked and ran with other parents. Parents were then directed to the football field. Amid the chaos, Clark found Ethan sitting on the bleachers.

Clark said her son was writing an essay in class when he first heard the gunshots. Her son then worked with his classmates to barricade the door and hide.

“I’m so proud of him for doing that,” she said. “He was so brave.”

Students had only started the school year a little over a month ago before the shooting Wednesday.

“It makes me scared to send him back,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Traffic going to the school was backed up for more than a mile as parents tried to get to their children there.

“I have directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.

“We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation,” Kemp added.

In a statement, the FBI’s Atlanta office said: “FBI Atlanta is aware of the current situation at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. Our agents are on scene coordinating with and supporting local law enforcement.”

The White House said President Joe Biden has been briefed by his Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, about the shooting and the administration will coordinate with federal, state and local officials as it receives more information.

Apalachee High School has about 1,900 students, according to records from Georgia education officials. It became Barrow County’s second largest public high school when it opened in 2000, according to the Barrow County School System. It’s named after the Apalachee River on the southern edge of Barrow County.

The shooting had reverberations in Atlanta, where patrols of schools in that city were beefed up, authorities said. More patrols of Atlanta schools would be done “for the rest of the day out of an abundance of caution,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.

Reporting by Jeff Amy, Associated Press.

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