James Crumbley tried to call son Ethan twice after receiving school's 'shooter alerts' on his phone - before dialing 911 when he realized gun was missing from his home

The father of a Michigan school shooter called his son twice moments after receiving an 'active shooter' alert on his cellphone.

James Crumbley, 47, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in his 15-year-old son's killing of four students at Oxford High School. 

He's accused of failing to secure the gun at home and ignoring signs of his son's mental distress.

On Friday, the court heard how once word of an active-shooter was out, he drove to the Meijer parking lot, which was the reunification center for parents and kids, and desperately called his son, not knowing that he was already in police custody. 

James Crumbley then called his wife, Jennifer, and then drove home and called 911.

James Crumbley is seen in the Oakland County courtroom on Friday in Pontiac, Michigan.  Crumbley is on trial for involuntary manslaughter. He's accused of contributing to the tragedy at Oxford High School by failing to properly secure a gun used by son Ethan Crumbley

James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley made threatening statements from jail, He is pictured walking into court on Friday

James, 47, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each teenager killed by his son at Oxford High School in 2021 

James Crumbley talks to his defense attorney Mariell Lehman in the Oakland County courtroom on Friday. Four students were killed and more were wounded

He was caught making threatening statements on a jailhouse telephone and in electronic messages, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said during this week's trial

He said he 'immediately raced home' when he learned about the shooting and 'found the gun missing.'

'I called you guys right away to let you know,' James Crumbley said of a 911 call.

'In that 911 call he told the dispatcher that he saw and heard the sirens, he said that he went to the Meijer, that his son was a student, that he heard that there was a shooting, that he discovered that his son was missing, that he didn't know if his son took the gun, and that he was freaking out,' Crumbley's attorney Mariell Lehman said.

Video seen by jurors on Friday saw Crumbley telling police shortly after the fatal attack that a gun and ammunition used by his son had been hidden at the family's home

James and Jennifer Crumbley were interviewed in a small room at a sheriff's office while Ethan Crumbley was kept in another room. Two investigators spoke calmly as they tried to get as much information as possible from the parents.

James Crumbley, 47, is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each teenager killed by his son at Oxford High School in 2021

DailyMail.com previously reported that James was seen sobbing and wiping away tears as the Thursday's trial heard details about the shooting 

Investigators meet with James Crumbley, top center, and his wife Jennifer Crumbley after the Oxford H.S. school shooting in an interview room 

ames Crumbley, left, and wife Jennifer Crumbley meet with their son Ethan Crumbley after the Oxford H.S. school shooting in an interview room 

'Is it possible for me to have a water? My mouth is super dry,' James Crumbley asked before the interview began.

The gun was 'hidden in our armoire in the case, and the bullets were hidden in a different spot underneath some jeans,' James Crumbley declared, not adding anything more about how Ethan might have discovered them.

The gun, a Sig Sauer 9 mm, is a critical issue. Prosecutors said a cable lock given to James Crumbley when he bought the gun with Ethan four days earlier was still in the package.

'We go to the shooting range all the time. I've been trying to teach him safety,' James Crumbley told investigators.

The parents said their son had mediocre grades and was failing geometry. They wondered aloud if they should have a lawyer when speaking to police, but continued sharing information.

'I really wish we would have taken him home,' Jennifer Crumbley said.

She was referring to a meeting at the school a few hours before the shooting.

The Crumbleys had met with staff who gave them a drawing of a gun, blood, and a wounded person on Ethan's math assignment. There were anguished phrases: 'The thoughts won't stop. Help me. My life is useless.'

But the Crumbleys didn't take their son home, and the school, concerned that he might be suicidal if alone, didn't demand it. A counselor said Jennifer Crumbley seemed more concerned about returning to her job.

No one checked the boy's backpack for a gun, however, and the nine-minute shooting happened later that afternoon.

James and Ethan Crumbley in a Facebook photo posted in 2018

James and Jennifer Crumbley in a Facebook photo posted in 2019

Social media photos of Oxford HS shooter Ethan Crumbley - Images show Ethan with his mother Jennifer Crumbley and father James Crumbley, Elijah Crumbley (Eli), right

Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to his crimes and is currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, after murdering four classmates in the Oxford High School shooting in 2021

Madisyn Baldwin, 17, (left) and Hana St Juliana, 14, (right) died in the 2021 shooting rampage at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit 

Justin Shilling, 17, (left) and Tate Myre, 16, (right) were two of four students killed in the senseless shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan

One person is seen stopping by to leave a gift and say a prayer for the people who were killed 

A person lays flowers at a growing memorial outside Oxford High School a day after the November 2021 shooting

'Why? Why?' Jennifer Crumbley asked Ethan when detectives allowed the parents to see him.

'I love you,' James Crumbley said repeatedly.

The Crumbleys are the first U.S. parents to be charged with having criminal responsibility for a mass school shooting committed by a child. 

Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of the same involuntary manslaughter charges last month. She will be sentenced on April 9. 

Defense attorney Mariell Lehman has told jurors that James Crumbley was not aware the son had access to the gun or could be a danger to others.

Jennifer Crumbley is taken into custody after a guilty verdict was read last month

The gun used in the shooting was a Sig Sauer 9mm his father had purchased with him just four days earlier, seen here

Gun shop office manager Cammy Back testifies on the stand about the sale of a handgun to James Crumbley in the Oakland County courtroom on Friday, in Pontiac, Michigan

She noted during cross-examination of a detective on Friday that James Crumbley was 'incredibly emotional' at the sheriff's office.

'Yes,' Detective Sergeant Joe Brian said.

Earlier on Friday, jurors heard about the purchase of the gun. 

Shop manager Cammy Back said James Crumbley, accompanied by his son, paid roughly $520 in cash, including tax, for the firearm.

'The son was standing behind him,' Back testified. 'Mr. Crumbley asked to see the Sig Sauer, said that he'd had his eye on it for quite some time.'

Ethan referred to the gun as 'my beauty' on social media. When he pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism, he said that his money was used to buy the gun. That detail hasn't emerged in his father's trial because he's not a witness.

Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer, were both charged in connection with the shooting

Chilling diary entries written by Ethan include drawings of a gun being held to the head of a girl 

Jurors at Jennifer's involuntary manslaughter trial were shown disturbing drawings by her mass shooter son

Ethan, now 17, is serving a life prison sentence for murder and terrorism.

James Crumbley has been in jail since his arrest more than two years ago. 

The sheriff's office said Friday that his use of a phone and tablet would be restricted after he used them to make 'threatening statements' while in custody.

Authorities didn't elaborate on the threats. Neither did Judge Cheryl Matthews, who said he can use a phone or tablet only to communicate with his lawyer or clergy.

A gag order in the case bars attorneys from speaking to reporters. The trial will resume for a third day on Monday.