Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald speaks at a news conference announcing a commission’s gun violence prevention findings on June 11, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
The tragedy of the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan in 2021 left a mark on the local Oakland County community that can never be erased, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said at a news conference announcing the findings from a commission’s pursuit to find gun violence prevention solutions.
“November 30 2021 is a day I will never forget and I know many of the people in this room will never forget,” McDonald said, acknowledging the families of the Oxford High School students that were killed by their 15-year-old classmate: Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Justin Shilling, 17, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17.
“We can solve this, but it’s not going to be just one thing. And it takes all of us,” she said.
Not having an answer to the question parents were posing after the shooting; ‘How do I keep my kids safe?’, was frustrating, McDonald said. Oakland County has lost 11 children to gun violence since January of 2021 and not having an answer for how to prevent more deaths wasn’t going to work, so McDonald sought out the answer for herself.
Steve St. Juliana (right) father of Hana St. Julianna and Nicole Beausoleil (left) mother of Madisyn Baldwin sit together at a news conference on June 11, 2024. Both parents lost their children to a gunman in the Oxford High School shooting on Nov. 30, 2021 and are listening to a commission’s findings on how to prevent gun violence. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
In September of 2022, McDonald announced she was putting together a commission of gun safety experts, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, education professionals and parents of the Oxford shooting victims to research together the root causes of gun violence inside and outside of schools and how to prevent deaths.
“These protocols to action address the gun violence as a public health crisis. Just as we addressed automobile accidents that caused the death of children, which used to be the number one cause of death until 2021, we address it as a public health crisis,” McDonald said. “In the first 24 hours after Oxford, I learned there were several signs that the shooter displayed that were ignored and if taken action on, we could have prevented that tragedy…the number one cause of death for kids is gun violence.”
While some of the early interventions involve protocols for identifying signs of crisis in schools, McDonald emphasized that though schools can be instrumental in identifying the behaviors that can indicate the possibility of someone harming others or themselves, the majority of gun violence takes place outside of schools so parents and community members need to get on board with being vigilant.
The solutions outlined in the commission’s findings start with preventing a crisis before it happens, providing support before a person is in crisis, which the commission found is almost always the cause of gun violence. Threat assessment is the next step. After remaining vigilant, it’s important to have predetermined protocols and evaluations to determine the risk of violence.
The commission recommends points of intervention when someone is at risk of perpetrating violence against themselves or others, from a person to personal level to community solutions. The last part of the commission’s findings deals with the aftershocks of violence, not just acknowledging those who have lost their lives, but also those who continue to live, but who have lost their lives as they knew them.
While four students died in the Oxford High School shooting, two other students were injured and told the court during the shooter’s sentencing about how their injuries have changed their lives. One teacher was also shot, Molly Darnell. She shared at the news conference the impact of the shooting on her life.
“On November 30, of 2021, I woke up as a wife, mother, educator, friend and colleague, and by the time I came home that evening, three unrecognizable labels had given to me: Victim, wounded and survivor,” Darnell said. “The person that I was what I left for work that morning was taken, the life I had, the life I knew was stolen.”
Molly Darnell, the Oxford High school teacher who was shot in the November 30 2021 shooting at the school speaks at a news conference announcing a commission’s gun violence prevention findings on June 11, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
Darnell recounted the prosecution of the shooter’s parents, who juries determined earlier this year were responsible for their son’s actions, after the prosecution asserted the parents failed to properly secure the firearm, identify clear signs of mental distress in their son and act upon them.
“I’m angry at their selfish decisions. I’m angry for what they did not do and I’m angry for their disregard for our community. What transformed in me as a result of that day was so life-altering that I cannot even remember who I was before November 30 of 2021. But this tragedy, like many others, could have been prevented,” Darnell said.
We need to start acknowledging pain, McDonald said. Looking for the signs of pain in others helps prevent violence and listening to the devastating stories of those who survive and lose loved ones to gun violence informs changes that can be made to prevent tragedy repeating.
Michigan owes it to victims and survivors to move towards peace, Deleah Sharp, Founder and executive Director of Identify Your Dream said.
At the age of 17, Sharp said the loss of her brother to gun violence less than a block away from her home in Pontiac was overwhelming and in order to find a way to heal and process her emotions she created Identify Your Dream to help kids heal from gun violence.
Deleah Sharp, Founder and executive Director of Identify Your Dream speaks at a news conference announcing a commission’s gun violence prevention findings on June 11, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
“Preventing gun violence at community level requires a multifaceted approach. It starts with awareness and education,” Sharp said. “We must educate our communities about the impact of gun violence and the importance of early intervention. Schools, community centers and local organizations need to provide resources and programs that promote conflict resolution, emotional regulation and mental health support.”
In addition to the commission’s findings, McDonald announced the creation of the All of Us Foundation, to create and distribute gun violence prevention materials to individuals, businesses and communities.
The post How to prevent a shooting: Oxford prosecutor makes a guidebook to prevent tragedy appeared first on Michigan Advance.