Police say the shotgun used in the attack was purchased legally
Public schools in Bend, Oregon, began reopening this week after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School. Dozens of officers welcomed students as they returned to classes.
The shooting remains under investigation, and Bend police said this week that the shotgun used in the incident was purchased legally.
The Guardian reported that Griffin J John II, a 16-year-old former student at the school, broke in with a shotgun and headed toward a special education classroom. He shot six people, killing Megan Lambert, a 25-year-old teacher, and three children, including five-year-old Rhoam Summer. Becky Drury and seven-year-old student Saylor Graham were also shot.
Becky Drury, a 54-year-old teacher who was seriously wounded, shared her account in a statement released Wednesday while she remained hospitalized. She said: “Here is what I remember: Once I realized something was happening outside, I ran to see what was going on. I then saw the shooter and immediately ran back into the classroom. I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there. Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground,” Drury said.
Drury said her left hand was almost completely severed and her other arm was also badly injured.
She also said: “I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else. So, I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again,” she said.
Her account contradicted some reporting that she had thrown herself on top of a student in an effort to protect the student. She wanted to ensure “the events of that day and my actions in particular are reported accurately.” She also said, “my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy.”
The Guardian reported that another teacher threw her phone at John and tackled him before a parent fatally shot the teen gunman.
MSI’s earlier account described a teacher tackling Griffin J John II before a bystander fatally shot him. The new reporting describes the tackler as another teacher, adds Drury’s account of being shot before she could act, and reports the reopening of Bend public schools and the shotgun’s legal purchase.