Shooting Suit: Principal Told Us 'There Is Absolutely No Threat'

The family of an Oxford High School senior who was wounded in the mass shooting at the Michigan school last week is suing school officials for failing to stop the shooting despite warnings. And the suit isn't just talking about the social media messages Ethan Crumbley posted the night before the rampage. The suit filed by the family of Riley Franz, a 17-year-old who was shot in the neck, names as defendants the Oxford Community School District, Superintendent Timothy Throne, Principal Steven Wolf, Dean of Students Ryan Moore, and some unnamed counselors and teachers. It alleges that on Nov. 16, weeks prior to the shooting, "multiple concerned parents" shared concerns about social media threats with Wolf.

One parent stated their kid didn't feel safe and "didn't even want to go back to school." Per the suit obtained by NPR, Wolf replied via email that same day, "I know I'm being redundant here, but there is absolutely no threat at the HS ... large assumptions were made from a few social media posts, then the assumptions evolved into exaggerated rumors." The suits adds that Throne subsequently made an announcement on the school's loudspeaker advising students to stop "relying on information on social media" and saying "there were no threats that posed any danger to students."

On Nov. 30, Riley and 14-year-old sister Bella were in a school bathroom together and were shot at as they exited it. The suit, which is seeking $100 million, says the girls are suffering from "severe trauma, PTSD, fright, shock, terror, and anxiety" in addition to their physical and emotional injuries. It argues that under the 14th amendment, the teens had the right to be free from danger created or heightened by the defendants, reports the Detroit Free Press. "Defendants' conduct was outrageous and shocks the conscience," the suit adds. (More mass shootings stories.)