Counselor who allowed school shooter Ethan Crumbley to stay in class despite drawing guns and threats says he thought it would be 'better' for him to be around students than alone after his parents refused to take him home

Ethan Crumbley's school counselor testified that his father insisted he 'talked' about his son's mental health issues, justifying why he allowed the student to remain in school on the day he opened fire on his classmates. 

Shawn Hopkins, the former counselor at Oxford High School, took the stand on Monday to testify over 'red flags' that Ethan exhibited before he killed four classmates and injured seven others in November 2021. 

When questioned over disturbing drawings Ethan made that morning, Hopkins insisted he asked the student's parents to take him home, but admitted to allowing him to stay when they declined. 

'I didn't want him to be alone, so my thought was if the parents had to return to work, I wanted to make sure the student was with people,' he testified. 'My concern was him, his well-being, his ability to be safe and cared for.' 

The homework took center stage last month when James' wife Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of the same charges her estranged husband is now facing, and she faces decades in prison when she is sentenced in April. 

As Crumbley's trial began Thursday, it was revealed James had his communication privileges revoked after allegedly making threatening statements from jail, reports WJBK. 

School counselor Shawn Hopkins (pictured) testified on Monday that he 'could see the sadness' in Ethan Crumbley shortly before he opened fire on dozens of classmates

James Crumbley (seen on the third day of his trial on Monday) is facing involuntary manslaughter charges over his son Ethan's 2021 school shooting

Ethan Crumbley is now serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2021 Oxford High School mass shooting, where he killed four classmates and injured seven others 

On the morning of the school shooting, teachers became concerned after finding alarming drawings and writings on his homework, including drawings of shooting victims around 'the thoughts won't stop... Help me' 

Prosecutors allege that James and Jennifer both ignored Ethan's cries for mental health support before the shooting, with James also buying his son the handgun used in the shooting four days prior. 

The gun purchase is expected to be pivotal in James' trial, which Ethan had begged his father to buy for him on Black Friday after months of pleading for a firearm. 

The allegations that James was an aggressive father also come as he is accused of telling his son to 'suck it up' when he asked for mental health support.

These claims were bolstered at Jennifer's trial in February, where jurors were also shown diary entries from Ethan where he wrote: 'I want help but my parents don't listen to me so I can't get any help.' 

This was countered on Friday, as the jury also heard James had also told his son he could 'always talk to him.' 

Hopkins said James Crumbley told his son 'you know you have people to talk to', and mentioned to school staff that 'they've talked' about some of his struggles.  

Much of Friday morning's testimony centered on the morning of the shooting, when James and Jennifer Crumbley had been summoned to their son's school due to the alarming homework, but then declined to take him home. 

Hopkins said he became increasingly concerned by Ethan's behavior in the lead up to the tragedy, culminating in disturbing drawings of shootings on his homework on the morning of the shooting. 

However, he testified that he was particularly concerned over writing that Ethan left around drawings of dead bodies, including 'the thoughts won't stop... help me.' 

After finding the homework, Hopkins added that Ethan declared in a private meeting that he 'can see why (the homework) looks bad, but I'm not going to do anything.'  

Monday's trial saw the jury shown a number of emails exchanged by teachers about the student, including one where they said he was going through a 'tough time' and to keep an extra eye on his behavior. 

Monday's trial saw the jury shown a number of emails exchanged by teachers about Ethan, including one where they said he was going through a 'tough time' and to keep an extra eye on his behavior

At Jennifer's trial in February, jurors were also shown diary entries from Ethan where he wrote: 'I want help but my parents don't listen to me so I can't get any help' 

Ethan Crumbley (seen in his booking mugshot) had allegedly been told by his father to 'suck it up' when he pleaded for mental health support before opening fire in November 2021 

The counselor said they were initially concerned by Ethan searching firearms and ammunition online during class days before, but admitted that it didn't seem especially concerning and wasn't out of the ordinary for other students. 

Ethan's behavior then escalated to the morning of the shooting, where he had made the drawings of shootings on his schoolwork. Unbeknownst to others, Ethan had also secretly stashed his handgun bought by his father in his backpack.

He said James and Jennifer were both called into school that morning after Hopkins said the drawings 'led me to believe he would hurt himself.' 

To justify the drawings, Hopkins said Ethan claimed they were depicting a video game, and was practicing as he had ambitions to 'go into video game design' - but Hopkins added that he was not convinced by this due to the graphic nature of the drawings. 

'They didn't look like they were from a video game,' he said. 

The counselor testified that Ethan had told him he was going through a tough time at home prior to the shooting, including that his dog and a family relative had died recently, and was struggling with school during Covid lockdowns. 

'I could see his sadness,' Hopkins added. 

The school's Dean of Students, Nicholas Ejak, also took the stand on Friday, where he insisted that officials had no reason to suspect the horror that would unfold on the day of the shooting when they called in Ethan's parents that morning. 

Ethan's mother Jennifer Crumbley (pictured testifying in her own trial on February 1) 

James Crumbley breaks down in tears as jurors hear details of his son's school shooting on the first day of his trial on Thursday 

James is accused of failing to appropriately secure the gun at home alongside ignoring his son's signs of mental distress. 

On Friday, the court heard how once word of an active shooter was out, he drove to a parking lot used as a 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.

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. 

The gun, a Sig Sauer 9mm, was intended to be locked with a cable lock given to James when he bought the gun, which was still in its package from when it was purchased days before. 

Police say Crumbley's first victim was freshman Phoebe Arthur (pictured), who was shot in the face but miraculously survived. A total of 11 people were shot, four of whom died

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 also killed in the senseless shooting 

As the trial began on Thursday, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said James had his access to phone and electronic communications restricted because he allegedly made threatening statements from jail. 

The sheriff's office told WJBK that he is now limited to conversations with his lawyer, but did not elaborate on who received the alleged threatening statements or what the nature of them was. 

On Friday, James broke down in tears as footage of the shooting was shown during testimony from Ethan's assistant principal Kristy Gibson-Marshall. 

She recalled seeing Ethan in the hallway with the firearm and looking him in the eyes, before she saw one of his victims on the ground. 

'As he walked by I asked him if he was OK, what was going on,' Gibson-Marshall said. 'He looked away from me, and I knew for sure he was the shooter because he would’ve talked to me if he were not.' 

James appeared to dab tears from his eyes as the assistant principal narrated the footage of Ethan moving through the halls of the school.