Michigan school shooting: Man identifies himself as person accused of aiding the accused gunman’s parents
Police launched a manhunt after the parents failed to show up for their placement hearing on Friday, then arrested them at a Detroit building after being seen by a member of the public.
Police said on Saturday it appeared the pair were hiding in the workspace and someone helped them into the building, guiding them as they parked their car in the back.
Andrzej Sikora on Sunday identified himself through his attorney as law enforcement personally said to have helped the Crumbleys.
Although Sikora knew the Crumbleys were using his workspace, he “really had no idea what was going on” and didn’t know the pair “had orders to take the initiative” when they were discovered by law enforcement. and was later arrested, his attorney, Clarence Dass, said.
Dass said his client “was caught up in the act,” but declined to say why he allowed the pair to stay in the workspace or provide more details about Sikora’s relationship with the Crumbleys. other than saying “he knows them, but he doesn’t.”
Dass told CNN that his client was at the workspace for “a brief period of time,” but was not there Friday night and the overnight hours when the Crumbleys were arrested, adding he was not realizes the Crumbleys are in his space for “so long.”
Sikora “has been an outstanding citizen his entire life. An immigrant from Poland, he has dedicated his adult life to the arts and the Detroit metro community,” said Dass. in a Sunday afternoon news.
“Mr. Sikora has not been charged. However, upon learning of the Crumbleys’ arrest on December 4, 2021, he voluntarily contacted the Detroit Police Department and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to provide information. . and is fully cooperating with law enforcement to assist with their investigation,” the statement said.
At a news conference late Saturday afternoon, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said law enforcement is still “collecting information” and will present to the county prosecutor about potential charges. implicit in relation to assisting and abetting or obstructing justice.
Dass told CNN he doesn’t think there’s evidence to support his clients knowing the Crumbleys were fugitives when he allowed them into his workspace.
“They appear to be hiding in the building,” Detroit Police Chief James White said at a news conference early Saturday. They were “very distressed” after being detained, the sheriff said.
White says he doesn’t know the Crumbleys’ intentions, but that “this is not a sign of turning in, hiding in a barn.”
Parents accused of giving son ‘free access’ to firearms
Tuesday’s shooting – the deadliest K-12 school in the US since 2018 and the 32nd attack since August 1 – claimed the life of 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin; Tate Myre, 16 years old; Hana St. Juliana, 14 years old; and Justin Shilling, 17 years old.
Prosecutors allege that they gave their son “free access” to the gun used in the shooting, which they said James Crumbley had purchased four days earlier, on Black Friday. But one of their attorneys, Shannon Smith, said the gun was locked.
The detained couple, sitting alone in separate rooms, arranged to appear by video conference with the judge, their attorney and the district attorney.
During the settlement, their attorney emphasized that their client had fully intended to turn himself in before authorities arrested them on Saturday morning.
Detroit police eventually made an arrest after a business owner saw a woman standing near a “suspicious vehicle” in his parking lot Friday night and called 911, according to a statement. with CNN from Oakland County Deputy Secretary Michael McCabe.
An Oakland County judge set bail for James and Jennifer Crumbley at $500,000 each.
The Crumbleys’ attorneys asked for a $50,000 or $100,000 bond.
The couple is being held in the same county jail as their son.
