First responders criticized in Oxford school shooting handling, new report says

New report on Oxford school shooting response critiques first responders

There was no findings of neglect or dereliction of duties by first responders, but there was however, a "breakdown in command in coordination, communication and training" it claimed.

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A new report on the aftermath of the tragic 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School points some blame at first responders.

The backstory:

The Guidepost group released the 275-page report which focuses on the day of the shooting Nov. 30 of that year.

In the independent group's report there was no findings of neglect or dereliction of duties by first responders.

There was however, a "breakdown in command in coordination, communication and training."

It also found there is a need for improved rapid response, protocol, training, and tactical medical readiness.

The shooting killed students Madiyson Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17; and Hana St. Juliana, 14, and wounded others as well as a teacher.

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said the report was comprehensive and detailed.

"I think it was fair," he said. "It’s what we asked for. We wanted to know are there things we can do better after this terrible tragedy? And I think they pointed out some things where we can probably tighten up our processes and we will do that."

But Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard was left questioning the report.

FOX 2: "The report said there was a breakdown in command coordination, communication and training. Do you agree with that?"

"No, because they don’t understand some of the terminology and some of the appointments that we give," he said. "For example, they said there was a delay in having an incident commander."

FOX 2: "A 25-minute delay."

"We had an incident commander in one minute. We call him the 'Hall Boss' so it starts focusing on sending people into the halls," Bouchard said.

More: Oxford High School Shooting Coverage

"We spent a half-million dollars on this report," Coulter said. "We’re gonna use it to find out the lessons learned and what we can do as a team - not pointing fingers, to do better."

FOX 2: "The county executive said it cost $500,000 for this report. Was that money well spent?"

"I think anytime you have a tragic incident. It’s a good idea to review it and analyze it and look for more ways to get better," Bouchard said. "And we're always supportive of that idea. We do that all the time."