Four Killed in Shooting at Oregon Elementary School
Four people were killed and two were critically injured in a shooting Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, police said. The victims were three children, ages five, eight and 11, and a teacher. A seven-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to hospital.
Police identified the gunman as Griffin J. John II, a 16-year-old former student. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the victims were all shot in one classroom. The attacker fired through locked doors to enter the school, according to police.
Krantz said a teacher threw her phone at the gunman, then tackled and fought him. She was not injured. A parent who followed the attacker into the building shot him, police said. The gunman was found dead inside the school minutes after the first emergency calls.
The parent was identified by his mother as Kaylub Giamanco, whose two daughters attend Silver Rail. In a statement, she said he was not seeking recognition and thanked first responders, school staff and the community. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and President Donald Trump also praised his intervention.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press that the attacker used a pump-action shotgun purchased by his mother. Police said the first 911 call came from someone outside the school who reported being shot at. Other calls followed from inside, and officers arrived within minutes.
Families reunited with students at a nearby church. Residents gathered for a vigil Thursday night, and flowers, balloons and stuffed animals were left near the school. Classes and activities were cancelled Friday across the area’s 32 schools.
The wounded teacher’s family identified her as Becky Drury and said she was recovering from surgery. The five-year-old victim, Rhoam Summer, was remembered by his aunt as an energetic child who loved reading and stuffed animals.