Oxford High School shooter fired 30 rounds, had 18 more when arrested, sheriff says

OXFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said a 15-year-old charged with killing four students and hurting 7 other people at Oxford High School fired more than 30 shots inside the building.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard gave an update at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, saying that investigators finished processing the school around 5:30 Wednesday morning and released the property back to the district.

During his update, he said that the suspect had fired more than 30 rounds and had 18 rounds still in his possession when he was arrested. 

"With this much ammo still with him, the quick actions of the school and the lockdown, as well as the deputies getting in and going to the danger, saved lives," Bouchard said.

Bouchard and the Oakland County Prosecutor are asking for the suspect to be transferred from Children's Village to the Oakland County Jail now that he's been charged as an adult. Children's Village is Oakland County's juvenile detention facility.

The sheriff called a 3 p.m. update, an hour after Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced murder and terrorism charges against Ethan Crumbley, the 15-year-old accused of shooting students at Oxford High School on Tuesday. 

McDonald said he would be charged as an adult and that the tragedy was not done on impulse. 

RELATED: What we know about the victims of the Oxford High School shooting

Four students were killed in the mass shooting on Tuesday. The victims were identified as 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.

Shilling died around 10 a.m. on Wednesday. 

Crumbley is charged with one count of terrorism, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 11 counts of possession of a firearm while committing a felony in connection with the school shooting that killed four students and injured seven other people, including a teacher.

Bouchard said he "agreed 100%" with the charges filed against the suspect.

"If you weren't hit by a bullet, [it] doesn't mean you weren't terrorized that day and won't have nightmares about it the rest of your life," the sheriff said. "That had to have been an absolutely terrorizing moment in anyone's life, I don't care if you're an adult or a child."

RELATED: Fourth Oxford High School shooting victim dies

What happened at Oxford High School?

At 12:51 p.m., the first call to 911 was made from inside the school. It was the first of at least 100 alerting law enforcement to the shooting as it was unfolding inside the school.

Someone had started shooting students in the school with a 9 mm Sig Sauer. Several people were shot and Oakland County dispatchers got deputies to the scene in just a few minutes.

Two minutes after the first deputies arrived, they encountered the suspect in the hallway holding the Sig Sauer. Without a shot fired by deputies, he was taken into custody. 

But at least three students were dead. Eight others were hurt and two of them are fighting for their lives.

More coverage:

• Oxford HS addressed 'rumors' that 'created some concern' weeks before shooting
• Oxford HS students escape through window as voice claims to be deputy
• Sheriff says, 'This wound will never go away' after school shooting

Who is the Oxford High School shooter?

Ethan Crumbley, 15, has been identified by the prosecutor's office as the sole suspect in the mass shooting. He has retained an attorney and his parents instructed him not to speak with investigators, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. 

He is currently in custody at Oakland County Children's Village.

The suspected shooter used a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that was purchased by his father four days before the shooting. 

When deputies stopped the teen, he still had 18 rounds of ammunition on him, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, including seven in his pocket that were loose and others that were left in the magazine. He was arrested without incident.

"We believe he came out of a bathroom with a weapon in hand. Deputies took (the gun) from him he was walking down the hall," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "That interrupted what could have led to several more victims. The way I see it is, there were seven more victims in that gun."

Investigators searched the shooter's home on East Street on Tuesday evening and seized key evidence, including what appeared to be several long guns.

Bouchard said Crumbley "wasn't on any law enforcement radar" prior to the shooting, and said the school had no record that he was the victim of any bullying.

Authorities later learned that the suspect and his parents met with school officials to discuss "concerning behavior" the day before and the morning of the shooting, but Bouchard said the sheriff's office was not aware of those meetings.