Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald goes off script during Oxford news conference
She stood at the podium to first explain why the parents of a 15-year-old school shooting suspect deserved to be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the killing of four students at Oxford High School — then she made an emotional plea as a parent for help from gun owners.
Karen McDonald, 51, Oakland County prosecutor, revealed anger and frustration Friday as a law enforcement officer and a mother of five.
At first, she delivered prepared remarks:
"While the shooter was the one who entered the high school and pulled the trigger, there are other individuals who contributed to the events on Nov. 30. And it is my intention to hold them accountable as well. It's imperative we prevent this from happening again. No other parent or community should have to live through this nightmare.
"Gun ownership is a right. And with that right comes great responsibility.
"I want to be really clear that these charges are intended to hold individuals who contributed to this tragedy accountable and also send a message that gun owners have a responsibility. When they fail to uphold that responsibility, there are serious and criminal consequences.
"We need to do better in this country. We need to say enough is enough, for our kids, our teachers, parents and all of us in this community and the communities across this nation."
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'Dangerous and disturbed'
She then she went off script, speaking candidly:
"I have tremendous compassion and empathy for parents who have children who are struggling and at risk for whatever reason. And I am, by no means, saying that an active shooter situation should always result in a criminal prosecution against parents. But the facts of this case are so egregious — reading this document, looking at it, reading the words, 'Help me' with a gun, blood everywhere. This doesn't just impact me as a prosecutor and a lawyer, it impacts me as a mother. The notion that a parent could read those words and know that their son had access to a deadly weapon that they gave him is unconscionable and I think criminal. It is criminal.
"When you give your child access to a deadly weapon, when you indicate that you're buying a weapon and you sign that it's for yourself, yet — clearly, based on the statements of the shooter, the statements of mom — that was his gun. Then we have the searching of ammunition. We have mom saying, 'At least you didn't get caught.' We have, the next morning, drawing essentially, almost explicitly, what he was about to do. I expect parents and everyone to have humanity and to step in and stop a potential tragedy.
"They (parents) did not indicate to school officials, or to their son, and inquire about the whereabouts of the gun, or the existence of the gun, to my knowledge.
"He (suspect) was not removed from the school. He was returned back to class with his backpack, where we have reason to believe the gun was stored in the backpack.
"I have spoken to the (victims') parents and indicated the nature of the charges that might be coming. I have not spoken about the school. These people are in incredibly deep, horrific pain and grief. Their reaction is as you expect. They will want anyone who had the opportunity to stop this from happening to have done it.
"There was absolute reason to believe this individual was dangerous and disturbed.
"Michigan's laws are woefully inadequate. We don't have have a safe storage law. You're not legally required to store your weapon in a safe manner. ... We don't have strong enough laws."
Reporters pressed McDonald: "How was the suspect sent back to class?
She paused for a period and replied:
"I'm not going to give you a political answer. I'm not going to cover for anybody. And I'm just going to say what I think. Of course, he shouldn't have gone back to that classroom. Of course, he shouldn't have. And I don't have, um, ill feelings or negative feelings about anyone. ... He should not have been allowed to go back to that class. I believe that is a universal position."
Deep anger
McDonald shared her views about parents who are angry at school officials.
"I'd be angry too," she said. "And I am. But that doesn't mean that there's a criminal culpability. But, yes. I'd be angry. I would be angry. I am angry. I'm angry as a mother. I'm angry as the prosecutor. I'm angry as a person that lives in this county. I'm angry."
Her final words focused on rapid response to signs of trouble and gun responsibility:
"There were a lot of things that could have been so simple to prevent. And, yes, there was a perfectly executed response and he was apprehended immediately. And we have great law enforcement and good training. But ... four kids were murdered and then seven more injured. So, so yes, I think we should all be very angry and we should take a very hard look at what is in place in terms of criminal responsibility, what gun owners are required to do.
"I am not here to say that people shouldn't own guns. I know a lot of people who own guns, but they do so responsibly. And it's your responsibility, it's your duty, to make sure that you don't give access to this deadly weapon to somebody that you have reason to believe is going to harm someone.
"It is our position that, on that morning, particularly that morning, but also the day before, but that morning, looking at that drawing, it's impossible not to conclude that there was a reason to believe he was going to hurt somebody."
More: Grandmother of Oxford school shooting victim Madisyn Baldwin pleads for help on GoFundMe
More: What adults need to know, and how they can help after shootings like Oxford High School
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prosecutor Karen McDonald goes off script at Oxford shooting presser
