Bend Police Name Shooter Griffin John II, Say He Fired Up to 15 Rounds in Special Needs Classroom at Silver Rail Elementary

Since a 16-year-old opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, Oct. 15, killing three children and a teacher, police on Friday, Oct. 16, have named the shooter and the slain teacher and laid out how the attack unfolded.

Shooter named, entry method described

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz identified the gunman as Griffin J. John II of Bend. He previously attended Silver Rail but was not enrolled in the Bend-La Pine school district at the time, Krantz said. School officials confirmed he had been a special needs student at the school, according to ABC News.

Krantz said the first 911 call came just before 1 p.m. from a person who said they had been shot at several times in their vehicle by a suspect with a long gun. Deschutes County Dispatch logged that call at 12:59 p.m. Dozens more calls followed reporting that the suspect had entered the school.

According to Krantz, John approached a fence at the school, threw his weapon over it, then climbed over onto school property. He gained entry by firing "multiple rounds" into the glass panes of the school doors.

He then went straight into the classroom immediately to the left of the entry. He "fired as many as 15 rounds overall," Krantz said, though the exact number fired inside the classroom is still being determined.

All of the victims were shot in that room, Krantz said. Superintendent Steven Cook said it was a special needs classroom.

Two interventions

Krantz said one teacher threw her cellphone at the shooter, tackled him and fought to take his firearm. "She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly help prevent more bloodshed," he said.

Officers arrived within three minutes of the first 911 call, Krantz said. They found the shooter already dead, killed by a bystander with a .40-caliber pistol. The bystander had seen the teen enter the school, followed him in and engaged him, Krantz said.

That man came forward Friday as Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old lifelong Bend resident with two daughters at the school. His family said in a statement that he "is not seeking recognition, but instead wishes to express his gratitude to the first responders, school personnel, and community for the outpouring of love and support."

President Donald Trump called him a "great hero" on Friday. "Thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it," Trump said. Gov. Tina Kotek had earlier praised the unnamed "community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life," adding that the act carries "a heavy emotional burden."

Victims

The dead are three boys, ages 5, 8 and 11, and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert, police said. Lambert's family said she grew up in Bend, coached volleyball, and that Silver Rail was her first teaching job after years of substitute work there. "This was her dream job," the family said.

Police identified the 5-year-old as Rhoam Summer. Kelik Summer wrote in a Facebook group post that Thursday was "the worst day of my life." The post added: "We are broken and lost, but are surrounded by friends and family who are keeping us safe." The families of the 8- and 11-year-old asked police not to release their names.

Two others were wounded: a 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher, identified by her family as Becky Drury. Police described both as critically injured on Thursday night. On Friday, police said the child was in serious but stable condition and the teacher's injuries were serious but not life-threatening, ABC News reported.

What police have not answered

The weapon was a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, according to ABC News. Multiple sources told ABC and a law enforcement official told the Associated Press, both on condition of anonymity, that it was bought by the shooter's mother. Police have not confirmed that on the record.

Krantz declined to discuss it. "How the suspect got the weapon and ammunition remains part of the active criminal investigation, and I will not be able to address any of that portion today," he said. No charges against anyone in connection with the weapon have been announced.

Motive is also open. "It will require substantial investigative time to continue that, but that is the answer we're seeking as well," Krantz said. "We may never get that full answer, but we want it."

The shooter attended Silver Rail in the past and the targeted room was a special needs classroom. Police have not said whether those facts are connected, and no motive has been stated. Investigators are still working to establish how many rounds were fired inside the classroom and how the teen obtained the gun and ammunition.