Michigan

Michigan shooter’s mom told police ‘he’s going to have to suffer’ after school slayings

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2024

Michigan shooter’s mom told police ‘he’s going to have to suffer’ after school slayings

Jennifer Crumbley was “irritated” and “kind of frustrated” when police took her into custody in the aftermath of a shooting at her son’s Michigan high school, a detective testified at her trial Wednesday.

Days before, her son Ethan Crumbley, then 15, killed four people and wounded seven others at Oxford High School, about 45 miles north of Detroit. She and her husband had gone into hiding after being charged in connection with the massacre but authorities found them sleeping at a Detroit art gallery five days after the Nov. 30, 2021 shootings.

“I could tell she was kind of frustrated,” Det. Lt. Sam Marzban of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department told jurors. “I told her there were several dead kids … and that this was a significant incident, that it was on the national news and that the president had addressed it.”

“Was Jennifer Crumbley crying?” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald asked.

She was not, he answered, but Marzban said he recalled Crumbley saying, “‘Lives were lost today, and he’s going to have to suffer.’

“The choice of words was odd for me,” he said.

In the days before the shooting, prosecutors have said, Ethan Crumbley was depressed, lonely and hallucinating. The teen texted his mom that he was seeing demons throw bowls around the house, and hearing toilets flush when no one was home.

His parents were called to the school when Ethan drew a picture of a gun on a math worksheet with a bleeding body and the words, “The thoughts won’t stop, help me.” A day before, a teacher saw Ethan searching for ammunition on his phone, and when the school contacted Jennifer Crumbley, she texted her son, “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

The Crumbleys, prosecutors said, promised to get help for Ethan, but declined to take him home and then returned to work without telling the school their son had access to a gun. Ethan went back to class; two hours later, at about 1 p.m., he came out of a bathroom and opened fire on the school with the gun, which was in his backpack.

Marzban was the first person to testify Wednesday in the ongoing trial of Jennifer Crumbley, who’s charged with involuntary manslaughter linked to the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting spree at Oxford High School. Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. His father, Jennifer’s husband James Crumbley, will be tried separately beginning March 5.

A day earlier, a teacher saw Ethan searching for ammunition on his phone. The school contacted his mother, Jennifer Crumbley, who then told her son in a text message: “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The detective told the jury and Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews his job included identifying the shooting victims; he provided graphic details about a scene he called “kind of surreal,” including one victim who was still wearing her backpack when he found her in the hallway.

Jennifer Crumbley, the first parent in the U.S. to stand trial on charges stemming from a child’s mass shooting, went on the run with her husband after the shooting. The prosecution is arguing that the Crumbleys were selfish and uncaring, ignoring their son’s spiraling mental illness and buying him the gun that he used in the shootings rather than seeking help for him.

The Crumbleys’ lawyers say they had no way of knowing or predicting that their son might go on a murderous spree, that the gun was secured and the charges are overreaching.

When the Crumbleys were discovered at a Detroit art gallery days after the shooting, Marzban testified, Jennifer Crumbley “did not want to give me her phone. She seemed irritated.” He said her husband told her the police would eventually get the phone, so she turned it over and gave him the password.

On trial: Jennifer Crumbley, charged in son’s school shooting, sobs at ‘horrific’ footage of rampage

The arguments: Jury selection begins for Oxford school shooter’s mother in unprecedented trial

Marzban also helped secure a search warrant of the Crumbleys’ house after identifying Ethan through items found in his backpack, including his cellphone.

The phone had texts from Jennifer Crumbley that said, “Ethan don’t do it,” about an hour after the shooting had been reported. Another text from James Crumbley read, “Ethan, call me now.”

The jury Wednesday also saw video footage of the Crumbleys’ arrest and heard from the person who called 911 to report where the couple was sleeping, a business owner nearby who recognized the description of the Crumbleys’ car from posters circulating after the shooting.

The prosecution has said it expects to rest its case by Friday and it still had nine witnesses to put on the stand.

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Michigan

Detroit Medical Center announces new visitor restrictions amid flu uptick in Michigan

Published

43 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Medical Center announces new visitor restrictions amid flu uptick in Michigan

December 5, 2025 / 11:20 AM EST
/ CBS Detroit

Amid a rise in flu cases throughout Michigan, the Detroit Medical Center is implementing new visitor guidelines.

The new guidelines are effective at all DMC locations, including the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, beginning Monday, Dec. 8.

DMC’s new visitor guidelines are as follows:

All patients are allowed up to two visitors at any one time.
Visitors ages 12 and under, including siblings and other relatives, will not be allowed on inpatient hospital floors or in the observation units.
Visitors ages 13 and over who have a fever, cough or rash are asked to visit patients at another time. This applies to both private and semi-private rooms. If hospitals have policies that are more restrictive than the proposed guidelines, they will continue to use them.
Visitors who exhibit illness or cold symptoms are encouraged to visit during a period of wellness.

“We have seen a marked increase in flu positivity in pediatric patients, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has also reported an uptick across the state,” said Dr. Teena Chopra, MPH, Corporate Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology and Antibiotic Stewardship for Detroit Medical Center. “So we wanted to move quickly to protect our patients and the community.”

State officials say that there were 14 pediatric influenza deaths during the 2024–2025 flu season — the highest mark since the state began tracking pediatric flu mortality in 2004.

Between October 2024 and May 2025, state health officials reported more than 33,000 hospitalizations related to influenza.

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Michigan

Michigan State commit Tristan Comer claims seventh annual Hawkins Award

Published

13 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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Michigan State commit Tristan Comer claims seventh annual Hawkins Award

SAGINAW, MI – Tristan Comer followed one celebration Wednesday with another Thursday.

The first was for his college. The second was for his high school.

Comer, a Freeland lineman, claimed the seventh annual Hawkins Award at the Saginaw Club. The award is given to the top Saginaw County senior football player based on athletic ability, academics and community involvement.

Thursday’s Hawkins Award came after Wednesday’s NCAA football signing day. Comer committed to play for Michigan State University, which fired Jonathan Smith, the coach who recruited Comer. The Spartans hired former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to take over the program.

“I definitely wanted to know who the coach was before I signed, but when it really came down to it, I love the people, the facilities and the academics at MSU,” Comer said. “I obviously love Coach Smith, but there were so many great things about MSU that whether or not Fitz was signed, I was still going to go.

“And Coach Fitz being signed is an amazing thing. He’s going to be great for MSU and great for my development.”

Comer became the seventh Saginaw County senior to win the Hawkins Award and second Freeland player, joining 2022 winner Gabe Blanchard. Freeland’s Zander Wheatley and Nouvel Catholic Central’s John Carlson finished as 2025 runners-up.

“All of them deserve the award … what they’ve accomplished is just amazing,” Freeland coach Kevin Townsend said. “With Tristan, it’s just a balance of everything.

“He doesn’t want to take the easy way out. As far as his Michigan State recruitment, they did their homework for that aspect, too. That includes his classroom work. Every single thing he does, he tries to raise the bar to the next level and the challenges that go with it.”

Comer, who has committed to MSU as an offensive lineman, was named the MLive Saginaw Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound lineman, who carries a 4.06 grade-point average, led the Falcons with 61 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and three sacks.

He was also an MLive Saginaw Dream Team basketball player as a junior. Comer has scored more than 1,000 points for the basketball team and could hit 1,000 rebounds this season.

The potential for a memorable basketball season swayed Comer’s decision to stay at Freeland instead of graduating early from high school and enrolling at MSU in January.

“I’ve spent three years playing basketball at Freeland, helping build a championship program,” Comer said. “We just returned 12 guys, and they’ve really made Freeland feel like home for me.

“So I’m going to stick with it, and I’m going to finish out the season with them. Then I get a new home at Michigan State.”

Moving to basketball forced Comer to make some caloric adjustments. He began his junior season of football at 235 pounds but added weight when he made the move to offensive lineman from tight end.

He finished the football season at 280 pounds but has dropped to 265 for basketball.

“I’ve been bouncing up and down with my weight the whole year,” Comer said. “Now I’m back to 265, so I can get up and down the court and dunk.

“If I put on a bunch of weight really fast, then it’s more fat and I feel sluggish. But it’s not super hard for me to lose that and put on muscle. The muscle goes on a little slower, but the weight still goes up, and I feel really good.”

Comer is the son of former Arthur Hill football coach and Saginaw Valley State University kicker Jim Comer and former Birch Run three-sport athlete Jennifer (Howell) Comer, who played softball at SVSU.

“Tristan is such a humble kid,” Townsend said. “He was homecoming king, which should also tell you that the other kids like him. It says something when your peers enjoy being with you.

“Zander fits in with that, and I’m sure John does too. There are some kids that are cut from the same cloth that they don’t have things handed to them. They’re willing to work for whatever they earn.”

Comer will head to a MSU football team that already features the 2024 Hawkins Award winner, Frankenmuth grad Derrick Simmons.

“Winning this is absolutely amazing,” Comer said. “It’s a representation of the beliefs of Saginaw and the beliefs of my community. I’m extremely honored to be able to represent that.”

The Saginaw Club also honored the top senior football student athletes from each Saginaw County school, including Hugh Tanner, Birch Run; Markeece Jackson, Bridgeport; Tori Rueda, Carrollton; Blake Hoerner, Chesaning; Lleyton Hoard, Frankenmuth; Steven Katzenberger, Hemlock; Connor Greif, Heritage; Harry Ayotte, Merrill; Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary; Mel Washington, Saginaw United; Jake Kubik, St. Charles; Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley; and Cole Strieter, Valley Lutheran.

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Michigan

It’s going to get cold. Here’s how cold it’s going to feel

Published

1 day ago

December 4, 2025

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It’s going to get cold. Here’s how cold it’s going to feel

Weather officials warn Michigan residents of Arctic air that will cause temperatures to plunge statewide Thursday night, Dec. 4, into Friday morning, Dec. 5, and create dangerously cold wind chills of minus 10 degrees in some areas.

“Yet another cold front passage will bring some brutally cold low temperatures to portions of the Midwest this morning, and then into the northern Mid-Atlantic and New England Friday morning (Dec. 5),” the National Weather Service said on Dec. 4. “Low temperatures in the negative single digits and teens for the Midwest and single digits and teens for the northern Mid-Atlantic/New England may challenge several daily record low temperatures.”

In the Upper Peninsula, air temperatures will reach single digits and wind chill values (what the temperature “feels like”) will fall to the single digits and below zero.

In the Lower Peninsula, air temperatures also will fall to single digits in some areas. Wind chill values will be in the single digits to below zero.

“The coldest night of the season so far is ahead with lows near zero degrees Friday morning (Dec. 5),” the Northern Indiana NWS office said on X on Dec. 4. “Remember to protect the 4 P’s: People, pets, pipes, and plants. Check in on those who may be vulnerable to the cold. Expose indoor pipes to heated air and drip water if necessary.”

Weather officials say the cold plunge could result in records across Michigan this week.

In addition to the below freezing temperatures, the eastern UP remains under a winter storm warning and advisory for lake-effect snow expected to slow down Thursday afternoon, Dec. 4. So far, 3.5 inches of snow have accumulated today, Dec. 4, in Sault Ste Marie and 4.2 inches in Donaldson (south of Sault Ste. Marie), according to the NWS’s snowfall reports. Freezing spray warnings are in place for Lake Superior and gale warnings have been issued for the Great Lakes.

Here’s the National Weather Service’s temperature forecast for Michigan: