Shooting at Silver Rail Elementary Leaves Teacher and Three Children Dead

A 16-year-old former student, Griffin J. John II, forced his way into a special-education classroom at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, using a pump-action shotgun. He opened fire, killing three children (ages 5, 8 and 11) and a teacher, and critically injuring another student. The attack occurred on a Thursday; the school district closed all schools afterward and reopened them the following day, except for Silver Rail, which remained closed while police secured the site.

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Becky Drury, the surviving teacher, said she ran toward the classroom, saw the shooter, and attempted to shut the door, but the gunman was already inside. She was shot at close range, sustaining a near-severed left hand and a wound to her right arm. Unable to rise, she “pretended to be dead” in hopes the shooter would not fire again. Drury emphasized that she never had the chance to shelter any of the children and sought to correct inaccurate media reports about her actions. She called for “accurate, respectful reporting” to aid the community’s healing.

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Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told the city council that the shotgun used was purchased legally, though he did not disclose who bought it. A law-enforcement source, cited by the Associated Press, indicated the weapon had been bought by the shooter’s mother, but officials have not confirmed that detail. Police continue to piece together how the firearm reached the teenager.

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District officials deployed dozens of officers to each school to welcome students back, according to the Bend Police Department. Another teacher reportedly threw her phone at the attacker and tackled him, actions that may have saved additional lives. The shooter was ultimately neutralized after a father followed him into the building and shot him.

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• “I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there,” — Becky Drury — Becky Drury

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