Oregon school shooter was former special needs student, police say | Gun Violence News
Oregon School Shooting Leaves Four Dead, Including Three Children
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including three children, on Thursday. The alleged attacker, identified as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, was a former special-needs student at the school.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz stated during a news conference on Friday that the tragic incident occurred in a special-needs classroom. All of the victims were shot in that area. The shooter was not enrolled in the Bend-La Pine Schools at the time of the attack, according to Superintendent Steven Cook.
Krantz reported that John fired a 12-gauge shotgun, shooting through locked doors and discharging roughly 15 rounds, with approximately 44 rounds remaining when he was fatally shot. The police were still investigating how the teenager acquired the firearm, which under Oregon law, can be possessed by a minor if provided by a parent or with parental consent.
The shooter’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson, expressed her remorse to reporters, saying, “I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something.”
In a display of bravery, a teacher confronted the gunman, hurling her phone at him and tackling him during the attack, which officials believe likely saved lives. She was unharmed in the incident.
Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old father of two children attending the school, followed the shooter inside the classroom and fatally shot him moments after the first 911 call was made. President Donald Trump called Giamanco a “great hero” for his actions.
The slain children were aged five, eight, and 11. The teacher, 25-year-old Meghan Lambert, was also among the deceased. A seven-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were reported in critical condition at a local hospital.
This incident marks the 28th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University. The Gun Violence Archive has reported 369 mass shootings in the U.S. so far in 2026, defined as incidents in which four or more individuals are shot. In addition, the gun safety group Everytown for Gun Safety documented at least 100 incidents of gunfire on school grounds this year, resulting in 34 fatalities.
