Thousands call for Oxford High stadium to be renamed after hero student who tried to disarm shooter
More than 66,000 people have backed an online petition calling for the Wildcat Stadium of Oxford High School in Michigan to be renamed after standout football player Tate Myre, who died along with three others after reportedly attempting to disarm the 15-year-old sophomore who went on a shooting rampage at the school Tuesday.
“On Tuesday 11/30 at around 1pm there was an active shooter in Oxford High School who killed 3 people and injured many more one of the students was killed in an attempt to disarm the shooter, this student is Tate Myre,” the Change.org petition reads.
“Tate is not just a hero to his fellow students at Oxford high school but a legend, his act of bravery should be remembered forever and passed down through generations, he put his life in danger to try and help the thousands of other students at Oxford High School.”
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The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office identified Myre, 16, among three students killed during the shooting, which was first reported at 12:51 p.m. The other students killed are Hana St. Julian, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and student Justin Shilling, who succumbed to injuries at a local hospital on Wednesday morning. There are conflicting reports suggesting that Shilling was either 17 or 15.
Other injured victims include a critically wounded 15-year-old boy shot in the head; a seriously wounded 14-year-old boy shot in the head and jaw; a 17-year-old girl shot in the neck; a 15-year-old boy shot in the leg; a 47-year-old teacher grazed with a bullet; and a 14-year-old boy shot in the chest and neck who is currently on a ventilator after surgery.
There was no official verification of whether Myre fought with the gunman before his death, but the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said he died in a patrol car as deputies took him to the hospital.
“There was no time to wait,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said late Tuesday. “He [officer] tried to load him into the car to get him as fast as he could to a hospital, and he expired in the car.”
The shooter, who will be arraigned Wednesday, surrendered without incident. Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced Wednesday that the 15-year-old student, Ethan Crumbley, will be charged as an adult on several charges, including four counts of first-degree murder.
Other charges he could face include one count of terrorism causing death, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He could face life in prison.
Bouchard said investigators were reviewing hours of security cameras at the school and said the shooter emerged from a bathroom and began firing at students in the hallway in an act that appeared random and “absolutely brutally cold-hearted.”
The gunman fired 15 to 20 shots before he was apprehended, The New York Times reported.
“I would like him charged as an adult,” Bouchard said before noting, “That will be a decision for the prosecutor’s office.”
Successful football teams need leaders on the field.
— The D Zone (@TheD_Zone) October 30, 2021
Oxford 2023 RB/MLB Tate Myre is one of those players and he talked to The D Zone after the playoff win.
“Rain is like Oxford football, tough” ????
#43 Oxford beat #9 Clarkston 38-28@OxfordFootbalI@TateMyre2023pic.twitter.com/w0Iq5WNpUJ
The Oxford Wildcats football team remembered Myre as a “great young man with a bright future.”
“It is with great grief that one of the victims of the tragic event at OHS today was one of our own, Tate Myre. Tate was on varsity since his freshman year and was an honor student. Tate was a great young man with a bright future and beloved by all,” team officials said in a statement on Twitter. The team noted Myre “was tremendously hardworking and respectful.”
“He was a tremendous football player with the brightest of futures and was an even better young man off the field as he was on it. We all loved Tate and he will so very much be missed,” the Twitter statement added.
In an interview last month, Myre, who wore No. 42, said he played the tight end, running back and linebacker positions for his school team. In a tweet on Sunday, he also revealed that he was being recruited by the University of Toledo football team.
Teammate Brady Carpenter explained on Twitter that even though he could not understand Myer’s passing, he will work to make him proud.
“Words can’t describe what is going on. My mind can’t comprehend,” he wrote. “I miss you already bro and I promise you I will make you proud. I love you 3,000. Rest easy 42 Psalm 34:18.”
