A school shooting in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday left four people dead, including three children and a teacher, and critically injured two others. The incident occurred at Silver Rail Elementary School shortly before 1 p.m. local time, when a 16-year-old former student opened fire in a special-education classroom.
Authorities identified the shooter as Griffin J. John, who was armed with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun reportedly owned by his mother. The attack began outside the school when John fired multiple rounds at a red pickup truck before climbing a fence and entering the campus. Upon entering through the school’s secured vestibule, he forced open locked doors at the rear of the building and made his way to a special-education classroom where he opened fire.
Three boys, ages 5, 8, and 11, were killed along with 25-year-old teacher Meghan Lambert, who was in her first full-time teaching role after previously serving as a substitute at Silver Rail Elementary. A 7-year-old girl in a wheelchair and a second teacher, aged 54, were also seriously injured. Both remain hospitalized, with the teacher’s injuries described as serious but not life-threatening.
The attack lasted approximately three minutes before the shooter was stopped. A teacher in the classroom intervened by tackling John, delaying his actions long enough for a bystander, Kaylub Giamanco—a father of two children attending the school—who was driving by at lunchtime with a legally carried concealed handgun, to fatally shoot the gunman. Police described the responses of both the teacher and Giamanco as acts of "true heroism" that likely saved many lives.
Investigators have seized electronic devices from John’s family home as part of the ongoing investigation into the motive behind the shooting. John’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson, expressed profound remorse and said there were no warning signs of her son’s intentions. She recalled earlier challenges John faced as a special-education student, including difficulties learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Silver Rail Elementary is part of the Bend-La Pine School District, which recently invested nearly $250 million in security upgrades, including classroom locks designed to facilitate rapid lockdowns. School officials noted that all security measures were recently updated and functioning.
The shooting represents the tenth mass casualty event at a U.S. elementary or secondary school since 2006. Community members gathered on Friday to mourn the victims and support affected families, with local organizations collecting donations to aid the school community. Neighbors and school families voiced shock and sorrow as they braced to return to class in the aftermath of the tragedy.