Bend, Oregon, school shooting: Suspect ID'd, previously attended elementary school, police say
The mass shooting at a Bend, Oregon, elementary school on Thursday that left three children and one teacher dead took place inside a special needs classroom, authorities said at a news conference, identifying some of the victims and the suspected shooter.
Three boys, ages 5, 8 and 11, and the teacher died at the scene, police said. At a news conference on Friday, authorities identified the teacher as 25-year-old Meghan Lambert, and one of the boys as 5-year-old Rhoam Summer. The names of the other two children killed are not being released at the request of their families, police said.
The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old armed with a twelve-gauge shotgun, was fatally shot by a community member who saw the teen going into the Silver Rail Elementary School and pursued him inside, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.
In another "heroic" act that may have saved lives, he said another teacher tackled the shooter to the floor and tried to take the gun away from him.
A 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher were wounded in the gunfire and were taken to the hospital with critical injuries, police said. The child was in serious but stable condition on Friday, and the teacher -- identified by her family as Becky Drury -- suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Police identified the suspected shooter on Friday as Griffin J. John II, a Bend resident who formerly attended Silver Rail Elementary School. The suspect had been a special needs student at the school, school officials confirmed. He was not currently enrolled in the school district, according to the police chief.
Preliminary information indicates the 16-year-old suspected shooter used a pump-action shotgun believed to be purchased by his mother, multiple sources told ABC News.
"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," Krantz said at a press briefing on Friday.
A motive also remains under investigation, police said.
"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."
How the shooting unfolded
The incident began unfolding shortly before 1 p.m. PT Thursday, police said.
At 12:59 p.m., police received a call from a driver who reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun, the police chief said. The vehicle was struck three times.
Shortly afterward, the Deschutes County dispatch center began receiving multiple 911 calls that a shooter had entered Silver Rail Elementary School. The school was directed to go into lockdown at 1:01 p.m, Krantz said.
The shooter "forced" his way inside the school by shooting at the glass panes of locked doors multiple times, according to the police chief.
"The suspect went directly into the classroom, immediately to the left of the entry doors, where he fired as many as 15 rounds overall," Krantz said.
Officers arrived on the scene at 1:02 p.m., police said.
All of the shooting victims were located in that special needs classroom, he said. The suspect was also shot in the classroom and died at the scene, he said.
A Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun was located near the suspect, who had approximately 44 remaining rounds of 12-gauge ammunition, according to the chief.
Bystander 'heroically intervened,' governor says
Police said the shooter was fatally shot inside the classroom by a 36-year-old community member who had seen the teen firing at the truck and then followed him into the school, Krantz said.
His family on Friday identified him as Kaylub Giamanco, a father with two daughters who attend Silver Rail Elementary School.
Giamanco -- a lifelong Bend resident -- was driving near the school when he heard the commotion and ran inside, according to his family, who said he regrets not being able to save more lives. His family confirmed he has a concealed carry permit.
"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," the Giamanco family said in a statement.
Police also commended another teacher who threw her cellphone at the shooter after he entered the classroom. The police chief said the teacher then "tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him," and that she "almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed." The police chief did not identify the teacher, and noted that she was uninjured.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek thanked teachers, staff and first responders who rushed to the scene and thanked the community member who she said "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life."
'We are heartbroken'
Following the shooting, police said they evacuated the school room by room. A reunification site for families was set up at a nearby church.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook called the shooting an "unthinkable tragedy" and said, "We are heartbroken. We are horrified."
Thousands of community members gathered for a candlelight vigil Thursday night at Drake Park in Bend. A makeshift memorial has also grown outside the elementary school, with mourners leaving flowers, candles, toys and stuffed animals.
Kotek ordered flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff on Friday from sunrise to sunset in remembrance of those who lost their lives at Silver Rail Elementary School.
Classes, activities and athletic events at all Bend-La Pine Schools were canceled Friday, school officials said.
"A school should be a safe place where children can learn and feel secure. What happened today should never happen," Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said at Thursday's press briefing. "Like so many in our community, I'm struggling to make sense of a loss that feels unimaginable."
Large police response
A school resource officer was not at the elementary school at the time of the shooting, a police spokesperson said, noting that he officer oversees multiple schools and was at a nearby campus at the time.
The shooting sparked a large police presence as law enforcement and first responders raced to the school. Over 150 law enforcement officers and first responders have been involved in the investigation, police said.
"Everything they were doing seemed highly trained and highly prepared for this," Caleb Weis, who was riding his motorcycle near the school at the time, told ABC News.
"I didn't see as many phones out recording as you see on many other occasions, just a kind of a shock factor and an immense amount of respect for the law enforcement, first responders," he said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was on the scene assisting in the investigation. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also responding, according to a source.
Some parents who heard the sirens came to the school and anxiously awaited information.
"There's really no way to prepare for something like this," one father told ABC Bend affiliate KOHD.
ABC News' Alyssa Pone and Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
