OXFORD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Keegan Gregory was a freshman at Oxford High School when he had to watch students lose their lives in the 2021 school shooting.
As he continues battling the trauma associated to that day, he and his family decided it was best for him to receive treatment at a Florida facility, the same place where students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School went after the 2018 mass shooting.
Gregory read a powerful impact statement during the trial of the Oxford High School shooter on Dec. 8, 2023.
“On that Tuesday, I walked into the school as a normal ninth grader, yet I walked out an entirely different person,” the now-17-year-old said in court. “It was and always will be the most terrifying moment of my life.”
On the day of the shooting in 2021, Gregory became trapped in a school bathroom with the shooter and Justin Shilling. He could only watch as Shilling was murdered.
“I was right there when he was shot and killed, yet I couldn’t do anything about it,” Gregory said in his impact statement.
He was then ordered by the shooter to go up against a wall. Gregory instead took his chance and ran for his life.
“I felt then, and still feel now, the guilt of surviving. I know that if it wasn’t Justin’s life that was taken, it could’ve been mine,” Gregory said.
Keegan’s parents Meghan and Chad Gregory have been by their son’s side over the last few years, supporting him as he works to overcome post traumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt. However, after making his voice heard in court, his mental health took a turn.
“Keegan after sentencing took a turn downward, so we had to put him in inpatient treatment back in December and he is currently still there,” Meghan Gregory said.
Meghan and Chad Gregory say it was Keegan’s decision to seek further treatment. He came to them after reaching a dark period in his life and the family chose a facility on the east side of Florida, the state they now reside in.
“He’s surrounded by support,” Chad Gregory said. “We’re very proud of him for acknowledging that and being willing to process this trauma.”
According to the family, the treatment center doesn’t have a hospital setting and there are multiple forms of therapy. It’s the same facility Parkland students attended after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and staff members lost their lives.
“I think that gives us a sense of relief that they know what they’re doing, they’ve been through this and getting him the right treatment, so he can live a more normal life,” Meghan Gregory said.
Meghan and Chad Gregory get 15 minutes a week to speak to their son over Zoom. It just so happened their weekly meeting happened moments after the jury reached a guilty verdict in the trial of Jennifer Crumbley Tuesday. Keegan has a positive reaction.
“He was happy. He struggles with the parents and their inactions, so he was very happy with the decision,” Meghan Gregorysaid.
Keegan Gregory will remain at the facility until the end of March as he continues his healing journey.
Meanwhile, the parents continue their legal battle against the Oxford Community School District in two civil lawsuits they have filed with their attorney Ven Johnson. There will be two arguments this year in regards to those lawsuits in appellate court at both the state level and federal level. Johnson says the goal is to hold the school, multiple educators and administrators accountable.
“This case is on a path on almost like no other,” Johnson said.
7 Action News reached out to Oxford Community Schools for comment about the civil trials. We did not hear back.
Meanwhile, thousands of other students including Keegan Gregory continue their healing journey as the civil and criminal trials continue.
