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What We Know About the Bend, Oregon, School Shooting

Three children and a teacher are dead and a child and a teacher remain hospitalized after a 16-year-old armed with a shotgun forced his way into a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a Friday news conference, according to ABC News. The shooter was fatally shot by a community member who followed him into the building, Krantz said.
What happened at Silver Rail Elementary School?
The shooting began shortly before 1 p.m. local time Thursday, Krantz said. At 12:59 p.m., police received a call from a driver who said he had been shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun, with the vehicle struck three times, according to Krantz. Shortly after, Deschutes County dispatch began fielding 911 calls reporting a shooter inside the elementary school, and the school went into lockdown at 1 p.m., police said.
Who were the victims?
Three boys — ages 5, 8 and 11 — and a teacher died at the scene, Bend police said. Authorities identified the teacher as 25-year-old Megan Lambert and one of the boys as 5-year-old Rhoam Summer; the names of the other two children killed are being withheld at the request of their families, police said. A 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher, identified by her family as Becky Drury, were wounded and hospitalized, police said. The child was in serious but stable condition Friday, and Drury's injuries were described as serious but non-life-threatening, according to police.
Who was the suspect?
Police identified the shooter as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a Bend resident who had previously attended Silver Rail Elementary School as a special needs student, school officials confirmed to ABC News. He was not currently enrolled in the school district, Krantz said. A motive remains under investigation.
"It will require substantial investigative time to continue that, but that is the answer we're seeking as well. We may never get that full answer, but we want it." — Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz
How did bystanders respond during the attack?
A community member who saw the teen entering the school pursued him inside and fatally shot him, Krantz said, calling the intervention "heroic." In a separate act Krantz also described as heroic, another teacher tackled the shooter to the floor and attempted to wrestle the gun away from him, according to police.
What is known about the weapon used?
Preliminary information indicates the suspect used a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun believed to have been purchased by his mother, multiple sources told ABC News. Krantz said how the suspect obtained the weapon and ammunition remains part of the active criminal investigation and declined to elaborate further at Friday's briefing.
What's next in the investigation?
- Investigators continue examining how the suspect obtained the shotgun and ammunition, a point Krantz said remains under active review.
- Police are still working to determine a motive, which Krantz said could take significant time and may never be fully resolved.
- The conditions of the hospitalized 7-year-old girl and teacher Becky Drury are being monitored after both were listed in serious condition, according to police.
- Officials have not said whether additional charges or findings will be announced as the Deschutes County-led investigation proceeds.
Questions
Who was the suspect in the Bend, Oregon school shooting?
Police identified him as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a Bend resident who had previously attended Silver Rail Elementary School as a special needs student but was not currently enrolled in the district, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.
How did the Bend, Oregon school shooting end?
A community member who saw the suspect entering the school followed him inside and fatally shot him, while a teacher separately tackled him and tried to take the gun away, Bend police said.