Progress touted in Oxford school shooting probe

A third-party firm charged with publishing the first public report on the 2021 Oxford school attack said it has received "critical" information on the shooting from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, including information that has never been revealed to the public.

Bradley Dizik, executive vice president at Guidepost Solutions, told the Oxford school board during its monthly meeting that prosecutors have provided Guidepost with "significant, detailed information relating to the incident.  That information is critical to the review, and some portions of that information are still non-public.

"Hopefully, our working relationship with the Prosecutor’s Office will serve as a national example for how communities, subject matter experts, law enforcement and prosecutors can work together and collaborate to find factual truths and identify learnings from tragedies like the one here in Oxford," Dizik told the board.

As a condition of receiving that information, Dizik said Guidepost agreed that it would not divulge any non-public information until Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald determined such a disclosure would not impact the May 1 pre-sentencing hearing for school gunman Ethan Crumbley or the upcoming criminal trial of his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley.

Four students — Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17 — were killed and seven others, including a teacher, were injured at the Oakland County school on Nov. 30, 2021.

"Guidepost will continue regular communication with the Prosecutor’s Office to determine when and how we can issue our second report on the incident without impacting the criminal cases," Dizik said.

Crumbley pleaded guilty in October to their deaths. He remains in the Oakland County Jail until his hearing, which must take place before sentencing a juvenile to life without parole. The Crumbleys are charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deaths of the students.

Guidepost is producing two reports. The first will detail what Oxford Community Schools has in place for school security and threat assessment practices, whether there are gaps in its plan, and recommendations for improvements. It is expected in two to three weeks, Dizik told the board.

Guidepost will host a community forum to answer questions about its first report for the Oxford community and the public. The date and format is to be determined but most likely in May, Dizik said.

The second report is a full accounting of what happened leading up to, on and after the Nov. 30, 2021, attack. It will be released after consulting with prosecutors, Dizik said.

Both reports will be released to the board at the same time they are released to the public, Dizik said, and both will include recommendations.

Heather Shafer, the board vice president, asked Dizik to provide the panel with updated information as soon as possible and to return for updates on when both reports will be released.

"The community thinks we are stalling this … we have done everything we can to encourage this. It's time to get this done," Shafer said.

On Jan. 27, Guidepost announced it has encountered "extraordinary" interference in its third-party investigation. Officials declined to comment on the source of the interference, but their complaint came months after educators and administrators at Oxford Community Schools were advised not to participate in interviews with Guidepost's investigation.

During the winter months, Guidepost experienced more voluntary cooperation from school administrators and employees including those represented by counsel, Dizik said, but several current and former school employees who are critical witnesses have declined to participate, most on advice of the district’s counsel.

Most of the victims and victims’ families have met with Guidepost, Dizik said, with final interview requests out to remaining attorneys for the victims and their families.

jchambers@detroitnews.com