OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — The Michigan shooting that shook Oxford High School in November 2021 was over in minutes. By the time the gunfire stopped, four students were dead, six more and a teacher were wounded, and first responders were rushing in.

A 275-page independent review, released Sept. 15 by Guidepost Solutions and commissioned by Oakland County, assessed how first responders handled the crisis. 

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The verdict: while mistakes were made, the outcome for the four slain students could not have changed. Medical examiners determined the gunshot wounds were unsurvivable, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Nonetheless, investigators still found troubling lapses. 

The first officers inside never radioed back details about victims or their own movements. Fire command shifted its crews to a new radio channel without alerting personnel inside the school. And it took nearly 25 minutes before anyone established an incident command post, leaving resources scattered and communication strained.

The report also highlighted the aftermath for families. 

Parents spent hours waiting at a local Meijer store for news of their children, with investigators describing the lack of a reunification plan as leaving families unsupported at a moment of devastation.

County Executive Dave Coulter called the findings both a confirmation of first responders’ bravery and a challenge to do better. The county, he said, will use the lessons “to build on the comprehensive strategies we already have in place.”