Oxford High School shooting civil suit will proceed

FILE – Memorial items are shown on the sign of Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Officials planned to welcome students back …

FILE – Memorial items are shown on the sign of Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Officials planned to welcome students back to Oxford High School on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, which is reopening for the first time since four students were killed and six students and a teacher were injured during a shooting at the school on Nov. 30, 2021. The students have been attending classes at other buildings since Jan. 10. A fellow student, Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged with murder and other crimes. His parents also are facing charges. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Posted: May 12, 2023 / 01:56 PM EDT

Updated: May 12, 2023 / 02:07 PM EDT

DETROIT, Mich. (WLNS) — A federal judge has ruled that civil claims related to the 2021 Oxford High School shooting against may proceed.

Judge Mark Goldsmith in the U.S. District Court in Detroit ruled the federal case will continue against the school district, former Oxford High School counselor Shawn Hopkins and former dean of students Nicholas Ejak.

Goldsmith ruled that representatives for the victim’s families have a case that Hopkins and Ejak knew shooter Ethan Crumbley could pose a risk to the safety of the school’s students and that they failed to adequately respond to that risk.

Seven Oxford staff members were dismissed from the claim: former district Superintendent Tim Throne, former Superintendent Kenneth Weaver, former Principal Steven Wolf, restorative practices coordinator Pamela Fine and teachers Becky Morgan, Allison Karpinski and Jackie Kubina.

Attorney Ven Johnson, who represents several families and victims in the case, released the following statement:

“This is monumental win for our clients who suffered unspeakable losses following the preventable and tragic shooting at Oxford High School. We’re one step closer to holding OCS and its employees accountable and proving in court they could have prevented this nightmare. This is also a significant victory in our fight against governmental immunity, and we’ll continue to fight fiercely for our clients and the entire Oxford community.”

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