Teacher and bystander stop Oregon school gunman after four killed
A 16-year-old former student forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary in Bend and opened fire in a special-needs classroom, killing three children and a teacher before he was subdued and shot dead
BEND, Oregon (MNTV) – A teacher and a passerby overpowered a teenage gunman who stormed a southern Oregon elementary school and opened fire in a special-needs classroom, killing three children and a teacher, in an attack that authorities said could have been far deadlier without their intervention.
The shooting unfolded shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, when the driver of a red pickup parked outside called police to report that someone was firing at the vehicle. Officers placed the school in lockdown within two minutes and arrived about three minutes after the first call. By then, the gunman was dead.
Police identified the attacker as Griffin J. John II, 16, a Bend resident and former special-needs student at the school who was not enrolled in any district school at the time.
Armed with a shotgun, he fired at the pickup, then shot through the glass of locked doors to force his way inside and opened fire in a special-needs classroom, discharging as many as 15 rounds, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.
Investigators are still trying to determine how he obtained the weapon.
Four people were killed: three children, aged 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher.
Among the dead were five-year-old Rhoam Summer and teacher Megan Lambert, whose family described her as a passionate educator and coach.
A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalized in critical condition.
The toll would likely have been higher, police said, but for two people who confronted the gunman. A teacher threw her cellphone at him, tackled him and tried to wrest away the firearm, escaping injury.
Moments later a 36-year-old man passing the school saw the attacker force his way in, drew a handgun and struck him repeatedly, killing him before officers reached the scene.
The man, who asked not to be identified, was praised by Krantz, who said his “courage and quick thinking undoubtedly saved lives.” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said the bystander had “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life.”
No motive has been established.
“Everyone wants to know why, including us,” Krantz said, adding that the investigation was continuing with assistance from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Bend-La Pine Schools canceled all classes and events the following day.
Superintendent Steven Cook called the attack an “unthinkable tragedy,” saying the community would feel its effects for years. Deschutes County health officials said crisis counselors had supported more than 200 people within 24 hours, with free counseling to continue.
The attack adds Bend, a city of about 100,000 on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range, to a long list of American communities scarred by school shootings, which continue to occur with grim regularity despite recurring debate over gun laws and campus security.
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