Shooting happened in special needs classroom at Oregon elementary school
This version of Live Coverage Teen Shooter Kills 3 Children Teacher Oregon Elementary Rcna603846 - Breaking News | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
The 16-year-old gunman was tackled by a teacher and killed by a bystander after the gunman shot his way into Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, officials said.
What to know about the shooting
- Three children and a teacher were killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday authorities said.
- The children were 5, 8 and 11 years old. Two other people, a 7-year-old and another teacher, were critically injured.
- All of the victims were shot in one classroom, which was a special needs classroom, officials said.
- The suspect, identified by police as Griffin J. John II, was a 16-year-old Bend resident and former student at the school. He was armed with a long gun and gained entry into the school by shooting through locked doors, officials said.
- Authorities credited a community member who killed the gunman and a teacher who tackled him with preventing further loss of life. The man's brother said he is a father of two students at the school who heard the gunshots while driving home.
Silver Rail Elementary had lockdown drill about two weeks ago
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the district has invested heavily in school safety, including secure entries, door locks, fencing and security cameras and lockdown drills.
Silver Rail Elementary practiced a lockdown drill about two weeks ago, he said.
Cook said that the district replaced every door lock in each of its schools so that the locks are visible within the classroom and "don't require exiting the classroom to lock the door."
There was no school resource officer at Silver Rail yesterday
While Bend-La Pine Schools does have a school resource officer program, no officer was present at Silver Rail Elementary yesterday, Bend Police said.
“That SRO (school resource officer) oversees six or seven schools, and so was at a nearby school,” said Sheila Miller, the communications manager for the Bend Police Department.
Where the investigation stands now
The investigation into the motive for the shooting is ongoing.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said crime scene analysts completed a digital scan of the scene last night and officers completed a second walkthrough of the scene this morning.
Police also collected evidence and executed a search warrant at the gunman's home and interviews are ongoing, he said.
Still under investigation is how the gunman got the weapon and ammunition.
Roughly 150 law enforcement and first responder personnel have been involved in the investigation, including Oregon State Police, the FBI and the ATF.
There were no additional students in the classroom other than the victims, police say
Asked whether other students in the classroom witnessed the shooting, Krantz said today: "As far as we understand at this point, there were no additional students in the classroom other than the victims."
He said that shooting had already occurred when the hero citizen engaged the suspect.
Megan Lambert, teacher killed in shooting, 'loved Silver Rail'
The family of Megan Lambert, the 25-year-old teacher killed in yesterday's shooting, said she lived to teach.
"She loved Silver Rail," the family said in a statement read at today's news conference. "This was her dream job."
Lambert was a Central Oregon native who graduated from Boise State University in 2023 and coached girls in the Central Oregon Volleyball Club, the family said.
She also loved volleyball, and turned down pay during her first season at the club so girls who normally couldn't afford the costs of participation could play, it said.
She was a substitute at Silver Rail Elementary School before becoming a full-time teacher, the family said.
"She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs," it said.
Suspect had a Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun
The suspect had a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun and a backpack, which were both located near him, Chief Mike Krantz said.
The suspect had 44 remaining rounds of 12 gauge ammunition on him or the backpack, he said.
Conditions of the injured
The 7-year-old injured in the shooting is in serious but stable condition, Police Chief Mike Krantz said.
The 54-year-old teacher had “serious but non-life-threatening injuries," he said.
Krantz said that when officers arrived, two children, both boys, and a teacher were deceased. Officers and medics attempted lifesaving care on one boy at the scene, he said.
Shooting unfolded in special needs classroom and gunman was special needs student in past, officials say
The shooting unfolded in a special needs classroom, Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said at a news conference today.
The gunman was a special needs student in that school in the past, he said.
“There were students of different ages in the classroom at the time of the shooting,” Cook said.
Police share new details about the shooting
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz laid out new details in what happened before and during the shooting.
At 12:58 p.m. PT yesterday, two vehicles were traveling near Silver Rail Elementary, he said. At that time the suspect approached a fence area of the school from an undeveloped area, crossed the street, threw his weapon over the fence, then climbed the fence onto the school property, Krantz said.
A driver of a red Toyota pickup saw the suspect and“verbally confronted him," the chief said. The suspect then fired at the pickup, hitting it at least three times.
The driver eventually kept driving and made the initial 911 call.
The driver of a second vehicle — a 36-year-old man whose children attend the school — witnessed the shooting involving the pickup. That man then drove into the school’s parking lot as the suspect was walking along the south side of the school and broke in.
The 36-year-old man parked his car, took out a 40-caliber pistol that he had “legally secured in his vehicle,” and went toward the school, Krantz said.
He heard the shooting and saw a teacher involved in a physical altercation with the suspect. He then entered the classroom and fired his weapon, “striking the suspect multiple times.”
Teacher tackled and fought suspect, police say
A quick-thinking teacher threw her cellphone at the suspect and tackled him after he stormed the classroom, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said today, hailing her "heroic action."
The teacher in the classroom also fought to take the firearm from the gunman, he said.
"She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed," Krantz said.
Suspect previously attended Silver Rail Elementary
Police identified the suspect as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II.
He previously attended Silver Rail Elementary, police said.
It's believed he traveled to the school on foot, and that route remains under investigation. He was not currently enrolled at Bend-La Pine Schools, the chief said.
Suspect fired as many as 15 rounds, all victims shot in one classroom, police say
The 16-year-old suspect in the Silver Rail Elementary shooting gained entry by firing "multiple rounds" into the glass panes of the school doors, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said in a news conference today.
Then he went directly into a classroom immediately to the left of the entry doors and “fired as many as 15 rounds overall," he said.
All of the victims were shot in that classroom, the chief said.
The exact number of shots fired in the classroom is still under investigation.
The suspect used three types of ammunition: all 12 gauge birdshot, buckshot and slugs.
Family of 5-year-old killed in Oregon school shooting is ‘broken and lost’
The three children and the teacher killed in a special education classroom at an Oregon elementary school yesterday included a 5-year-old boy whose family said they are “broken and lost” after the shooting.
Rhoam Summer, with long curly hair, was identified as one of the victims by a family member. The shooting occurred at Silver Rail Elementary School in the city of Bend. Officials said an armed bystander fatally shot the teen gunman, putting an end to the shooting spree.
Rhoam’s mother, Kelik Summer posted to a Facebook group last night, saying Thursday was “the worst day of my life. My son Rhoam was killed in a school shooting.”
Rhoam Summer. Swan Amity
'Mom, I'm scared': Mother of 5th grader recalls reuniting with son after shooting
Marilyn Haubauch, the mother of a fifth-grade student at Silver Rail Elementary School, recalled how her son felt "very scared" and frantically called her from a classmates' smartwatch in the aftermath of yesterday's shooting.
Haubauch missed the first call as she was on her way to the reunification center, but answered his second call.
“He said, 'Mom, I’m scared I want you to come pick me up from school.’ And I said ‘Buddy I can’t. You have to stay there with your teacher. Stay calm, stay down, stay safe. And he says, ‘I’m just so scared I don’t know what to do,’” she said.
Haubauch said her son didn't see or hear much of the shooting, and he was "very emotional" when they finally reunited after a four- or five-hour wait.
She also expressed gratitude for Kaylub Giamanco, the man credited with stopping the gunman.
“I can’t thank him enough. I can’t wait to meet him and shake his hand and say, 'Thank you," she said. "Because my son was on that side of the school, and this could have turned out so much differently if God hadn’t placed him right there at that moment and that time.”
Husband of injured teacher says family is focused on her recovery
Educational assistant Rebecca Drury was injured in yesterday's shooting at Silver Rail Elementary, according to her husband.
"The kindness and concern shown to our family and everyone affected mean more than we can express," he said in a statement to NBC News today. "Right now, our focus is on my wife, Becky, and her recovery, and on supporting our family through an unimaginably difficult time."
He asked for privacy, adding: "We ask that you continue to hold everyone affected by this tragedy in your thoughts."
Police have said a teacher and a 7-year-old child were critically injured in the shooting.
Shooter used pump-action shotgun, sources say
The shooter used a pump-action shotgun in yesterday's shooting, two law enforcement officials briefed on the case told NBC News.
The mother of the suspected shooter has been cooperative with law enforcement so far in the investigation, those officials said.
NRA praises bystander who stopped school shooter
In a statement, the National Rifle Association reiterated the importance of "law-abiding armed citizenry," pointing to the community member who followed the gunman into the elementary school and stopped him before more violence could occur.
"His decisive actions exemplify the heroism of everyday citizens who are prepared and ready to respond when innocent lives are on the line," the group's social media statement said.
Bend Education Association asks for privacy for their community
The Bend Education Association, which represents approximately 1,000 educators in Bend-La Pine Schools, including at Silver Rail Elementary School, emphasized the need for privacy of their community in a statement.
“Every day, families trust us with the people they love most. Our children, our students, are precious,” Sarah Barclay, BEA president and kindergarten teacher, said in a statement. “What happened at Silver Rail today reaches deeply into our entire community. Our hearts are with everyone affected.”
“When violence happens in one of our schools, it reaches far beyond that building,” Barclay said. “It affects our families, our colleagues, and communities across our country. Every student and every person who works in our schools deserves to be safe.”
Barclay lauded the community and all responding departments for acting quickly, and asked that media and others give students, families, teacher and staff privacy as they work through the tragedy.
A makeshift memorial at the school today. Joe Kline / AP
Mom of 5th grader recalls terrifying moment son texted her about the shooting
The mother of a fifth-grade student at Silver Rail Elementary School recalled the terrifying moment she received a text message from her son that there had been a shooting.
“Mom there was a school shooting we’re ok tho,” the message read.
“I instantly turned to social media, and it was blasted all over,” Jenn Johnston told NBC News.
Jenn Johnston
About 20 minutes earlier, Johnston said she had received an automated phone call and text from the school telling her that there was a lockdown in place.
After receiving the text from her son, she and her husband jumped into the car and drove to the school. Johnston said parents were rerouted to a nearby church, where they waited for hours with few updates from police and school officials.
It wasn’t until about 6 p.m. when her tearful son jumped off the school bus and ran into her arms.
Parent who pursued and shot the gunman identified as Kaylub Giamanco
The person who took down the gunman yesterday has been identified as Kaylub Giamanco, 36, his brother, Kyle Giamanco, confirmed to NBC News.
Kaylub Giamanco is a carpenter and a father of two girls who attend Silver Rail Elementary. Despite rumors, Kyle Giamanco said his brother was not picking his children up from school at the time — he was driving home for his lunch break and heard gunshots before he saw the gunman go into the school.
Kyle Giamanco said his brother has a concealed-weapon permit and decided to go in after the gunman, who he said went into the special education room.
Several parents have also told NBC News the shooting happened in the special education classroom, which explains why the victims are of different ages. Police have not confirmed that.
Kaylub Giamanco is a hero, his brother said. But Kyle Giamanco said part of the reason his brother does not want to speak out right now is because he doesn’t feel like he is one — he can’t get the children out of his head and feels guilty he didn’t save more people, his brother said.
Kyle Giamanco also said he is friends with the family of the 7-year-old child who is in the hospital. The child, who is in a wheelchair and was shot in the face, is recovering from surgery.
Kaylub Giamanco. via Facebook
5-year-old victim identified as Rhoam Summer
The 5-year-old victim of yesterday's school shooting was identified as Rhoam Summer, a family spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
Kelik Summer also posted to a Facebook group last night that yesterday was "the worst day of my life. My son Rhoam was killed in a school shooting. We are broken and lost, but are surrounded by friends and family who are keeping us safe."
Rhoam Summer. Swan Amity
Shooter identified as Griffin J. John II
Bend, Oregon, Police Chief Mike Krantz identified the shooter as Griffin J. John II, 16, at a news conference today.
Two senior law enforcement officials said the gun used was purchased by his mother around the time of his birthday in August.
CORRECTION (Oct. 16, 2026, 8:20 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this blog post identified the shooter as John. J. Griffin II, based on information NBC News received from three senior law enforcement officials. The Bend, Oregon, police chief said the shooter’s name is Griffin J. John II.
Bend police had active threat training at a school in August
Bend police officers completed active threat training at a local high school two months ago.
“Unfortunately, this is something we train for on a regular basis, and we must,” Chief Mike Krantz said.
He said the investigation into yesterday's shooting will take time.
“We will have a large police presence at Silver Rail Elementary School for the next several days as our officers continue to conduct a very thorough investigation so we get all the answers,” he said.
A makeshift memorial at the school today. Haven Daley / AP
Parent of Silver Rail student on community's solidarity: 'We will only get stronger from this'
Mindy Miranda's 8-year-old daughter is safe, but was at Silver Rail Elementary yesterday when the shooting unfolded.
"I wasn't able to sleep at all last night," Miranda told NBC News today. "Just a lot of thoughts and emotions." She said she is working on figuring out to how to process this both as a family and as a community.
Miranda talked through what happened yesterday, from initially getting the call from the school to reuniting with her daughter last night.
"I never in 1,000 years thought it would be at Silver Rail Elementary," she said.
All schools in the district will be closed today
After yesterday's shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School, all schools in the Bend-La Pine district will be closed today, including activities and sporting events, the district has said.
There will also be a large police presence at the schools in the coming days.
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty
Shooter fired at concerned motorist before entering school, leaving bullet holes in truck
Justin Penfield's 6-year-old son was in his kindergarten classroom at Silver Rail yesterday when the shooting occurred.
Penfield and his wife were together when they were notified by the school district. "We ran to the school because we couldn’t get close," Penfield said. His son was in gym class at the time, and he said the school managed to get that class outside to the street, which is where the Penfields found their son.
Then, Penfield said he noticed a man standing next to his truck, visibly shaken up. There were "about seven or eight gunshot holes in his truck," Penfield said.
Bullet holes in a truck outside Silver Rail Elementary yesterday. Justin Penfield
The man, Penfield said, was a mechanic who was returning to work from lunch when he was shot at. The mechanic told Penfield he saw the gunman walk toward the school and throw a shotgun over the fence before jumping the fence himself, entering the school's playground.
Penfield said the mechanic found this odd, so he stopped his truck and yelled at the man to ask what he was doing. That's when the shooter turned around and opened fire on the mechanic's truck, before heading toward the school.
The mechanic called 911, before another person followed the gunman into the school and "the rest is covered in the news," Penfield said.
Penfield did not catch the name of the mechanic, but said, “I could imagine he was in shock."
What we know about the teen shooter
Officials identified the suspect as a 16-year-old Bend resident, but did not disclose his name.
He shot his way through locked doors to get into the elementary school yesterday.
He was later found dead inside the school, minutes after the shooting was first reported, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said. The gunman was pursued and shot by an unidentified person at the scene who followed him inside, authorities said.
The first 911 call came just before 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET), from a person in a vehicle outside Silver Rail Elementary who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun, Krantz told reporters.
The gunman's motive and association with the school remain unclear. Police are still investigating.
Onlookers outside the school Thursday. Joe Kline / AP
‘There are simply no words,’ Bend mayor says at vigil
Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler told her community they will have to come together to support one another, as she attended a vigil last evening.
“There are simply no words for the loss that we have suffered today,” she said, calling it a dark day in the city.
Kebler has a daughter that attends a different elementary school, and said that many of the people at the vigil had children or young relatives.
“I am proud of our community for coming together to support one another, because that is what we are going to need right now,” she added.
A candlelight vigil at Drake Park in Bend last night. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty
Fifth grader waiting to be reunited with parents was 'very scared,' aunt says
The aunt of a fifth grader at Silver Rail Elementary described her nephew as “very scared” in the aftermath of the shooting.
Mindy Corely said her nephew had a phone and was able to tell his mother he was OK.
“He was clearly very, very scared and wanted to go home,” she said on NBC News Now. The student had been waiting at a reunification center to be reunited with his parents, she added.
Corely said the greater central Oregon community was hurting after the tragedy. “This affects all of us,” she said. “We all pull together as an even larger community, not just Bend. All of central Oregon is affected by this.”
What we know about the Bend elementary school shooting
Three young children and a teacher were killed yesterday afternoon in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, and a teenage suspect was fatally shot by a good Samaritan who pursued him.
The shooter forced entry into Silver Rail Elementary School by firing through the locked doors around 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET), Bend police said.
Police arrived within three minutes and learned the suspect had been shot and killed.
A sheriff's deputy outside Silver Rail Elementary school on Thursday. Joe Kline / AP
Many questions remain about the motive and how the shooter gained access to the long gun used in the attack and whether he had any links to the school.
Here’s what we know.
