The parents of the teenage suspect of a Michigan school shooting have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
As reported by CNN, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said on Friday that the fatal shooting at Oxford High School has left her angry.
She also revealed that the charges against the parents of 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley have been made in order to "hold the individuals who contributed to this tragedy accountable - and also send a message."
Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have each been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
McDonald told reporters: "Gun owners have a responsibility. When they fail to uphold that responsibility, there are serious and criminal consequences."
The shooting occurred on Tuesday afternoon and resulted in the deaths of four students. Seven others were injured, The Independent reports.
"I am angry. I'm angry as a mother, as the prosecutor, I'm angry as a person that lives in this county," McDonald told reporters at today's press conference.
"We have great law enforcement and good training, but I said before, four kids were murdered and seven more injured. So yes, I think we should all be very angry and we should take a very hard look at what is in place in terms of criminal responsibility, what gun owners are required to do," she added.
The charges against the parents mark a rare step in prosecutions surrounding school shootings. Addressing gun owners, McDonald said: "It's your responsibility, it's your duty to make sure that you don't give access to this deadly weapon to somebody that you have reason to believe is going to harm someone."
Fifteen-year-old Crumbley has been charged as an adult with one count of terrorism, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Per CNN, a teacher at the school was first alarmed by the 15-year-old's behavior on Tuesday after discovering a note on her desk that featured a sketch of a semiautomatic handgun pointing at the words: "The thoughts won't stop, help me."
James and Jennifer Crumbley were "immediately summoned" to the school.
McDonald told reporters: "At the meeting, James and Jennifer Crumbley were shown the drawing and were advised that they were required to get the — their son into counseling within 48 hours."
She then added that the parents "failed to ask their son if he had his gun with him or where his gun was located and failed to inspect his backpack for the presence of the gun which he had with him."