Okay, so you know how we discussed the recent school shooting in Georgia and general school shootings in the USA in yesterday’s article? Well, today, we discovered that the shooter’s dad, Colin Gray, has been arrested and charged with murder. Like, OMG! He is facing four charges of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight of cruelty to children.
Usually after a shooting, while everyone is (rightly) focused on the victims and their families, people don’t talk about as much about the parents of the shooters. Like, where were they? How did they not know something was seriously wrong? But in the past few years, there’s now legal precedent in the USA to actually investigate and charge the parents for the actions of their children.
Let’s talk about James and Jennifer Crumbley. They’re the parents of Ethan Crumbley, who was, like, responsible for the super tragic shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan back in November 2021. So get this—they got charged with involuntary manslaughter! Like, the prosecutors were all, “You guys totally ignored the warning signs,” and honestly, it’s hard to argue. Their son was drawing creepy, violent stuff and writing, like, really disturbing messages, and what did they do? Pretty much nothing. Oh, and the kicker? They literally bought him a handgun just days before the shooting. Like, seriously? Who does that?
And they’re not the only ones in hot water. Remember the Santa Fe High School shooting in Texas in 2018? The parents of the shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, got slapped with a lawsuit from the victims’ families. They were basically accused of ignoring the super obvious warning signs about their son’s mental state. Oh, and they also didn’t secure their firearms properly, which, like, major mistake. They didn’t get criminally charged, but that lawsuit? It was no joke and totally showed that people are getting way more serious about holding parents accountable.
So, here’s the thing: In the past, everyone kind of saw these parents as victims too—like, they were just as shocked as anyone else. But now? Not so much. There’s this whole shift happening where people are like, “Okay, but you’re the parent. You should have known something was up.”
Psychologists like Dr. Richard Keller, who specializes in adolescent behavior, pointed out that while it can be difficult for parents to recognize the signs of potential violence in their children, ignorance isn’t an excuse. Keller argues that parents are the first line of defense, and their failure to notice or address troubling behavior can have dire consequences. He suggests that society’s increasing willingness to hold parents legally accountable reflects a growing recognition of the critical role parents play in preventing such tragedies.
It’s like, parents might have had plenty of chances to step in and do something, but they didn’t. And look at what happened. I mean, how do you ignore all those red flags and think everything’s just fine? It’s scary how easy it is for parents to just, like, brush off really disturbing behavior as “just a phase” or whatever. But when that behavior turns into something tragic, suddenly everyone’s like, “Wait, how did this even happen?”
The legal stuff these parents are dealing with is no joke. Like, the Crumbleys are facing criminal charges, which is super intense. And then you’ve got the civil lawsuits, like in the Pagourtzis case, where the families are trying to get some justice. It’s kind of a wake-up call to all parents out there—like, you really can’t just ignore what’s going on with your kids, especially when guns are involved.
But it’s not just about the legal consequences; it’s also about, like, the moral responsibility. I mean, these parents are all, “I had no idea my kid was capable of this,” but people are starting to call BS on that. It’s like, are you really that clueless, or were you just not paying attention? One dad whose son was involved in a shooting even admitted that he totally failed as a parent. He was like, “I should have seen the signs. I should have done something.” And honestly? He’s not wrong.
The whole thing just shows how much pressure there is on parents to be, like, super vigilant and totally on top of their kids’ behavior. But when they drop the ball, the consequences are beyond serious. It’s not just about them anymore; it’s about all the lives that were affected by what their kid did.
So yeah, as much as it sucks to say, parents of school shooters are kind of being put under the microscope now. Society is totally done with the whole “I didn’t know” excuse. If there were warning signs, and you ignored them? People are gonna come after you, legally and morally. And like, honestly, they should. Because if we’re gonna stop these tragedies from happening, parents have to step up and actually, like, parent.
It’s a tough reality, but we’ve gotta face it. We can’t just keep saying, “Oh, it’s not the parents’ fault.” Sometimes, it totally is. And if we’re ever gonna see a future where school shootings aren’t a thing anymore, we’ve gotta start holding everyone accountable—especially the parents.
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
