Michigan grapples with Oxford High School shooting
A Michigan school shooting earlier this week rocked the nation - leading to new discussions on gun laws. Learn about a local pharmacist who wants to make a difference as a community resource.
Oxford school shooting rocks Metro Detroit
On Tuesday Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old student, opened fire at Oxford High School, leading to four deaths and seven people being injured. Crumbley was charged as an adult for first-degree murder, terrorism amid other charges. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald alleges there is evidence the attack may have been premeditated, including a journal and a video recorded from the night before.
Four people lost their lives in the incident: Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, Madisyn Baldwin, 17 and Justin Shilling, 17.
Following Tuesday’s attacks, over a dozen Metro, Detroit school districts closed down due to potential threats made in the aftermath of the attacks.
Superintendents encouraged parents to speak to their children, monitor their social media activity and report any incidents.
Tania Begum: ‘I found my passion with people’
Community pharmacist Tania Begum co-owns Community Rx Pharmacy in Warren. Begum says she and her business partner opened the pharmacy in 2013 to serve the growing population of Bangladeshis moving northward into Warren and Sterling Heights from Hamtramck and Detroit.
“We don't have a Bengali-speaking pharmacy in this location… we want to be with the people and be their support center, a resource center for them,” she says.
Now the business serves[patients who are Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, Chaldean, and other backgrounds.
“I found that passion where I want to be with people and the newcomers who don't understand the medication... who feel like they're lost... in the healthcare system,” she says.
Begum shared her story with me for the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). Listen to her oral interview here.