Michigan shooting: suspect?s parents held on $1m bond after capture

The parents of Ethan Crumbley, the Michigan teen charged with killing four students at his high school this week, "could have stopped" the shooting, prosecutors alleged at the parents' arraignment on Saturday, before the judge set a combined $1m bond.

In a Zoom hearing, James and Jennifer Crumbley entered not guilty pleas to each of four counts of involuntary manslaughter.

An extensive manhunt was launched on Friday after the Crumbleys failed to attend their original arraignment. US Marshals announced a reward of up to $10,000 each. Police said the Crumbleys were caught hiding in a commercial building.

On Saturday, prosecutor Karen McDonald said the Crumbleys "could have stopped" the shooting, adding that there was a "strong" likelihood they would be convicted. Jennifer Crumbley cried as she was asked about the charges but her husband, James, remained "non-emotional" the Detroit News reported.

Judge Julie Nicholson assigned bond of $500,000 each and other requirements such as GPS monitoring.

"These charges are very, very serious, there's no question about that," the Detroit Free Press quoted Nicholson as saying. "The court does have some concern about the flight risk along with the public safety given the circumstances that occurred yesterday and the fact that defendants did have to be apprehended in order to appear for purposes of arraignment."

The Crumbleys were captured early on Saturday in a building that housed artwork, the Detroit police chief, James E White, told reporters. The Crumbleys' attorney, Shannon Smith, said on Friday the pair left Oxford "for their own safety" and would return to face charges.