Authorities in Bend, Oregon, have provided further details following a deadly school shooting that was halted by an armed parent and a teacher on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred at Silver Rail Elementary School, located in the central Oregon city of approximately 107,000 residents.
At 12:58 p.m., the shooter, identified as John, approached the school from a vacant lot adjacent to the playground. According to Bend Police Chief Jim Krantz, the suspect threw his firearm over a playground fence before hopping the fence himself. A nearby pickup truck driver verbally confronted John, prompting John to fire several shots at the vehicle. The driver promptly called 911 to report the shooting.
Shortly thereafter, John used a shotgun to break locks on a side door and entered the school, opening fire inside. The school initiated a lockdown at 1:01 p.m., and hundreds of law enforcement personnel responded from across central Oregon. The first officers arrived within a minute of the lockdown order.
Before police could arrive, the shooting was stopped when Mr. Nick Giamanco, a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary, fatally shot John with a pistol he kept in his vehicle. Officials said the shooter still had approximately 44 rounds of ammunition when he was killed.
Parents and students are now coping with the psychological aftermath of the attack. Hannah Ferrie, whose two daughters aged 5 and 7 were present during the shooting, described her older child as remaining silent and terrified after hearing gunshots and glass breaking in her classroom. Ferrie said her younger daughter was deeply fearful that her sister had been killed. She expressed relief at being reunited with her children but also the heavy burden of guilt compared to others still grieving losses.
“This is a systemic problem that the United States exclusively has in a developed world,” Ferrie said, citing her belief that prioritization of gun rights over children's safety fuels such tragedies. “It’s because we value Second Amendment rights over children’s lives, and that has to change.”
Willow Fink, a 10-year-old fifth grader, recalled hearing gunshots during class while she and her classmates were reading. School staff quickly implemented lockdown procedures, directing students to hide in a designated corner and turning off the lights. Willow described feeling scared but calmer than she does now as she processes the event. Her father, Sean Fink, expressed concern about potential long-term trauma, noting Willow’s report of hearing her teacher pleading for safety.
The shooting has intensified discussions on preventing similar incidents. According to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, gunfire on school grounds has caused 33 deaths and 63 injuries nationwide so far this year. Oregon is considered to have relatively strict gun laws, ranked 12th strongest in the country by the organization, yet the incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of current measures.
Near the school, community members left flowers at Drake Park on Friday in remembrance. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack as the city of Bend mourns the shocking event.