A 16-year-old former student opened fire in a special education classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, October 15, killing three boys and a 25-year-old teacher before an armed father who followed him inside shot him dead. A teacher in the room threw her phone at the gunman and physically fought him, actions Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said almost certainly limited further harm. A 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher were wounded.
As of October 17, investigators have identified the shooter as Griffin J. John II but have not established a motive. Police received the first 911 call at 12:59 p.m. from a driver in a vehicle who reported being fired upon by someone with a long gun near the school. Additional calls soon reported the person had entered the building.
Officers were alerted around 1 p.m., the school was directed into lockdown at 1:01 p.m., and officers arrived at 1:02 p.m., according to Chief Krantz. John approached the campus on foot from an undeveloped area near Nina Avenue. He threw a Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun over a fence, climbed over, and fired at least at one passing vehicle.
He then shot through the glass panes of locked doors on the playground side of the building and entered a special education classroom just inside, where he fired as many as 15 rounds. The ammunition included birdshot, buckshot, and slugs. Officers later recovered the shotgun and a backpack containing 44 additional rounds. All of the people shot were in that classroom.
Three boys—ages 5, 8, and 11—and teacher Megan Lambert were killed. Responders attempted life-saving measures on one of the boys but were unsuccessful. The 7-year-old girl received care at the scene and was transferred to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, where she was listed in serious but stable condition. The 54-year-old teacher, identified as Becky Drury, was treated at St.
Charles Bend for serious but non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive, according to family statements relayed through local reporting. Chief Krantz described two separate actions that interrupted the attack. An unidentified teacher in the classroom threw her cell phone at John, then tackled him and fought to take the shotgun. She was not injured.
Krantz said she “almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed” and called the effort “true heroism.” Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter and father of two girls who attend Silver Rail, was driving past the school on his lunch break when he saw the events outside. He retrieved a legally secured .40-caliber pistol from his vehicle, entered the building through the breached doors, and reached the classroom while the teacher was still struggling with John. He shot the 16-year-old multiple times, killing him before officers arrived.
Police have described the person who stopped the shooter as a community member and father of students; Giamanco’s family and multiple news organizations have identified him. His mother, Kenda Freeman, said he is not seeking recognition and has expressed gratitude to first responders and the community. Family accounts indicate he feels the weight of not being able to prevent the deaths that occurred. Police named two of those killed with the consent of their families: 5-year-old Rhoam Summer and 25-year-old Megan Lambert.
The families of the 8-year-old and 11-year-old boys asked that their names not be released. Lambert, a Bend native and Mountain View High School graduate, had earned her degree from Boise State University in 2023. She had previously substituted at Silver Rail and described the teaching position there as her dream job. Her family said she was compassionate, coached volleyball, and had turned down pay in her first season so that children who could not afford to play could still participate.
She worked with students with special needs. Drury worked in special education. The district and police have confirmed that the classroom attacked served students with special needs and that John had previously been a special education student at Silver Rail, though he was not enrolled in the Bend-La Pine district at the time of the shooting. John, 16, lived with his mother, Shauntai May Nickerson, roughly a half-mile from the school.
Law enforcement sources have told reporters that Nickerson purchased the shotgun around the time of his birthday in August. A 16-year-old cannot legally purchase a shotgun in Oregon, but parents may transfer one under certain conditions for hunting or sport. Police executed a search warrant at the home on Friday, recovering electronic devices. John’s parents have been cooperative with investigators.
Nickerson has told reporters she is sorry for the families’ loss and that if she could have prevented what happened she would have. She has described her son as “a good boy” with no warning signs known to her. In a 2020 interview with a local station, when John was 10, she discussed his participation in a program supporting students with intensive behavioral and social-skills needs and her hope that he would benefit from skilled in-person teaching after pandemic-related remote learning.
Chief Krantz has said investigators are examining possible mental health concerns, any prior warning signs, and digital records for clues to a motive. “Everyone wants to know why, including us,” he stated. “We may never get that full answer, but we want it.” No motive has been publicly confirmed.
The FBI is assisting with device analysis. Bend-La Pine Schools has said it will review its emergency response and safety procedures once law enforcement allows. A school resource officer was not present at Silver Rail when the shooting began, according to a police spokesperson. Bend-La Pine schools closed districtwide on Friday.
Vigils have been held, including one at Drake Park, and a makeshift memorial has formed outside the school. Officials have noted the rapid police response and the actions of the teacher and Giamanco as factors that ended the attack quickly. The scene remained secured into the weekend.
Key questions that remain open include how John obtained and transported the firearm, whether anyone else knew of his plans, the full details of his educational history and any services he received after leaving the district, and the precise sequence of events inside the classroom before the interventions. Police have not released additional names or identified the teacher who fought the gunman.
Readers should watch for further updates from the Bend Police Department on the investigation, any charging decisions related to the firearm, and statements from the school district on its review of security and response. Community memorials and support for the affected families are expected to continue in the days ahead.
