A Detroit artist whose studio harbored the parents of Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley while they were hiding from police said through his lawyer he has a “friendly relationship” with the Crumbleys but was unaware they’d been charged with involuntary manslaughter when they came to him “for safety.”
Detroit police found and arrested James and Jennifer Crumbley early Saturday morning in the commercial space that houses Decora Interior Art Design, 65-year-old Polish-born artist Andrzej Sikora’s studio.
Sikora’s attorney, Clarence Dass, told the Associated Press that the Crumbleys came to the artist’s studio Friday morning but that Sikora didn’t know they stayed the night.
“There was a lot of confusion and the Crumbleys went to him for safety. He didn’t know about the charges,” Dass said. “They were there in the daytime. He left in the early evening. He didn’t even know they were still there.”
The Crumbleys’ 15-year-old son faces 24 counts relating to Tuesday’s shooting massacre at his high school, were four students were shot to death and six more plus a teacher were wounded, as CrimeOnline previously reported. On Thursday afternoon, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she was considering charges against the parents, who reportedly bought the gun used in the shooting as an early Christmas present for their son.
Then, on the day before the shooting, a teacher saw the teen researching ammunition during class. The teacher called and texted Jennifer Crumbley, who never responded but did text her son: ““Lol, I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
On the morning of the shooting, a teacher spotted a drawing done by the teen that included a gun and a bullet and the words “The thoughts won’t stop, help me” and “blood everywhere,” the teachers said. The Crumbleys were “summoned immediately” to school but refused to take him home and insisted that he go back to class after he said his drawing was for a video game he was designing.
Dass said that Sikora contacted police Saturday morning when he learned of the charges against the Crumbleys and is cooperating with the investigation. Oakland County Undersheriff confirmed to the AP on Sunday that Dass had contacted them an an interview was being set up with the artist.
The attorney would not provided any details of his relationship with the Crumbleys, citing the investigation.
“Mr. Sikora has not been charged with any crime,” Dass said in a statement released earlier on Sunday. “Nevertheless, upon learning of the Crumbleys’ arrest on Dec. 4, 2021, he voluntarily contacted the Detroit Police Department and Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to provide information. He maintains his innocence throughout this process and is fully cooperating with law enforcement to assist in their investigation.”
The Daily Beast, however, said that a photograph of Sikora and mural he was working on in Oxford was published in the Oxford Leader — and the photographer was Jehn Crumbley, a name Jennifer Crumbley uses. The cut line was later removed from the article, but it can still be seen at archive.org.
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