By Ranya Merchant—Editor-In-Chief

A tragic school shooting in Oxford, Michigan left 4 students dead and over 6 students critically injured. 

The shooting at Oxford High School occurred in Oxford Township, Michigan, on November 31, and took the lives of Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling. Of the other ten injured victims, three remain hospitalized and four have been released. The suspect, 15-year old Ethan Crumbley, was sent to Oakland County Jail for processing after police identified and arrested him at the sight of the shooting in two or three minutes of their arrival.

“My teacher, he walked into the classroom; he locked the door, and he told us to call 911. And then we heard the rest of the gunshots go off, more screams,” said Zander Cumbey, an Oxford High School student who heard the initial gunshots.

The Oakland County Sheriff, Michael Bouchard said the call center received over 100 calls from frantic students. “I believe they literally saved lives, having taken down the suspect with a loaded firearm still in the building,” said Bouchard.  

Junior Trisha Brahmachari says the shooting has left her concerned for public school safety. “The kids at Oxford High woke up that morning and thought they would go to school and come back just as they did every day, but obviously this didn’t happen,” said Brahmachari.

“They were just normal kids too, and it’s scary to think that what happened to them could happen to any of us,” she added.

Junior Malika Angaian says the tragic event should be a reminder for people to pay attention to warning signs. “School shootings are sadly a reality in today’s world so we need to be keeping our eyes open for the signs.The parents of the Oxford shooter wer emet with multiple times and the alleged pictures posted on his social media accounts should have been enough, said Angaian”

“If we don’t feel as though our concerns are  going to be taken seriously, how can we be sure that we are being kept safe,” she added.

It feels as though these unruly events are occurring all over the country and it makes you wonder why? 

Many families of the wounded and dead students have put forth statements describing their loss, with one family suing the Oxford High School for $100 million failing to prevent the shooting in which their daughter, Riley Franz, was shot in the neck.

The attorney defending the family’s case, Gregory Frieger, accuses the school of dismissing violent threats — not only in the hours and days immediately before Ethan Crumbley’s shooting rampage, but also two weeks earlier, when students and parents raised their concerns. “We could talk about turning our schools into armed fortresses. We could talk about legislation. We’ve been talking about these things for 20 years. I am going to do something on behalf of the parents and the children that I represent and that were victimized at Oxford High School,” said Fieger.

The tragedy has called attention to a larger conversation about school security and a lack of regulation on guns. 

Michigan Senator, Rosemary Bayer, a Democrat whose district includes Oxford High School, vowed to push gun-control legislation. “We can’t do nothing. We have to take action. Right this minute. I think I really, really want to focus on the families and … just trying to help them know that we’re here for them, that we’re supporting them in any way we can.”

Bouchard says gun control laws must be enforced with punishment.“I believe the surest way to get a handle on holding people accountable when they’re doing things illegally with a gun is to punish them. That’s not happening in many communities across America today,” he said.