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Detectives in Michigan interview artist linked to Crumbley family

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Posted at 12:35 PM, Dec 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-07 13:35:37-05

We're learning more about the investigation into James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the accused Oxford High School shooter, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley.

The couple is facing involuntary manslaughter charges related to the shooting that left four students dead and seven other people injured. They were arrested at a building on Detroit's east side over the weekend.

The investigation has turned to the artist who owns the building. On Monday night, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at his home after he was questioned.

Now, we're learning that deputies found another vehicle the Crumbleys owned at a different hotel.

Police seized all of Andrezj Sikora's phones and computers, aiming to establish a timeline to see how much he knew and his true intentions to help the Crumbleys avoid arrest.

Deputies say he is cooperating.

"I believe at the end of the day they are going to conclude that he had no involvement with the Crumbleys," Sikora's attorney, Clarance Dass, said.

The 65-year-old owns an art studio, the same place Jame and Jennifer were found shacked up after failing to turn themselves into police.

Dass said Sikora didn't know the Crumbleys or their son were involved in the shooting at the high school. His attorney said he contacted the sheriff's office as soon as he did.

"He knows what he knows, and he knows that his involvement is so limited here, and most people don't go to the police voluntarily, and he did," Dass said.

James and Jennifer are facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Police say their son used a handgun they purchased to shoot up the school.

Dass said his client was trying to protect them from danger and not the police.

"The Crumbleys asked for a safe place to stay to avoid death threats that were surrounding their home," Dass said.

After a two-hour interview, deputies executed the search warrant and seized all his electronics.

Police are also looking into a second car belonging to the suspects parked at a different location than they were found.

"We uncovered a vehicle that the family also owned at a different hotel. There were a lot of things in motion here," Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "The fact they were in a warehouse in a kind of an off-the-beaten-path in Detroit certainly is not indicative of someone who looked like they were going to surrender, in my experience."

Police will be checking Sikora's texts and phone records to see what kind of conversations he was having with the suspects before and after they were charged.

Staff at WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan, first reported this story.