Residents of Bend, Oregon, gathered at vigils this week to mourn three children and a teacher killed when a 16-year-old opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School, and officials praised the bystanders who moved to stop the gunman. The attack has left a town shaken by a shooting at a school that many residents had not expected to be targeted.1,3,4,7
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz identified the youngest victim as a 5-year-old boy, Rhoam Summer, at the request of his family. He identified the teacher who was killed as 25-year-old Megan Lambert of Bend.3
A police spokesperson read a statement from Lambert's family. "Her goal was to be an educator and teach in the school district she loved growing up in," the statement said. "She loved Silver Rail. This was her dream job. Megan was compassionate and had a huge heart."3
Krantz described the actions of adults during the attack. He said a teacher in the classroom threw her cell phone at the suspect, then tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him. "She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed," Krantz said. He said a father of two students at the school followed the attacker into the building, then went to the classroom where the struggle was underway and fired his weapon, striking the suspect multiple times.3,4
France 24 reported that officials said the gunman had been a special needs student at the school in the past, and that officials praised the heroism of people who helped shorten the rampage. CBS News also published a report on how adults tried to prevent the shooting, and it said three children died.7,4
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said in an interview with NPR that the shooter was 16 years old. Asked whether investigators had identified a motive, she said, "We don't have that kind of information. Remember, this was also a child." She said it would be days before more was known about the background of the shooter.3
Kotek said officials did not yet know how the teenager obtained the firearm and ammunition. "We don't know how the gun ended up with the 16-year-old," she said. NPR's host said some outlets had reported that the gun was registered to the shooter's mother. Kotek said, "I have seen that. I can't confirm that." Breitbart published a report with the headline that the shotgun used in the attack was a birthday gift, but the reports available for this story include no official confirmation of that account.3,5
NPR noted that Oregon gun law contains exceptions that allow minors to possess long guns if the gun is given to the minor by a parent or guardian, or with their consent. Kotek said, "Our law does say that if you are under 18 and have access to that gun, that's because your parent or guardian have given you that permission to have that gun." She added, "I think there'll be a lot of questions about that going forward. And I don't - to be honest, it's just too soon to jump into those conversations, but I know that people are going to want to have them."3
The Washington Times reported that the parents of one of the victims have hired attorneys to investigate the school's plans and the gun purchase. The New York Post reported that the parents of the youngest victim had described the 5-year-old's Halloween plans before he was killed. Neither report's full text was available for this story, so the specifics of those accounts could not be confirmed here.2,8
Kotek described the response from across the state and country. "This is a disaster, I mean, in the most fundamental sense of the word," she said. She said she had spoken with Lambert's mother, and she described Lambert as "an amazing teacher and volleyball coach loved in the community." Kotek said her focus was on making sure the school district and community had what they needed, including mental health resources and care for the injured. She said she had heard from governors of both parties who had experienced mass shootings in their own states.3
The New York Times wrote that days after the shooting, the community is questioning its resilience and its safety. At a vigil, Matthew McCarthy, whose mother works at Silver Rail, told Oregon Public Broadcasting, "No one really expected it to happen here, but, like, at the same time, it was, like, you know, you always go to it with that thought, like, every morning."6,3
Kotek said the state's investigation is ongoing and that she could not provide updates on the other victims, whose families have asked for privacy. "It's going to be a couple more days before we know all the details," she said. Officials have not said when the investigation into the gun and the shooter's background is expected to be complete.3