We reported earlier on new information learned about the Bend, Oregon, mass shooting that happened Thursday, where a 16-year-old gunman opened fire and killed four people, including three children who were students at the Silver Rail Elementary School, and also injured two others before being taken out by a heroic armed community member.
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To quickly recap, the shooter was identified as John J. Griffin II, who reportedly first took aim at a nearby truck before turning his attention to the school around 1 PM local time. The man who intervened and prevented more injury and loss of life was named as 36-year-old carpenter Kaylub Giamanco, who has two young daughters who are Silver Rail students.
In a Friday afternoon presser, authorities in Bend provided more details on what happened, pointing to additional heroics from an unarmed female teacher who thankfully was not injured:
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz credited [Giamanco] and a teacher at the school for actions that saved other lives.
“In addition to the 36-year-old man who bravely stepped in to stop the suspect, I want to highlight another person whose heroic action we need to recognize: a teacher in the classroom threw her cellphone at the suspect and 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,” he said.
NEW DETAILS: Two people are being hailed for their bravery in the Bend, Oregon, school shooting, including a teacher who physically confronted the armed suspect. Police say the teacher threw her cellphone at the suspect, tackled him and fought for his gun, while a 36-year-old man also stepped in to stop the attack. Authorities say the teacher’s actions likely prevented more bloodshed. To stay up to date with the latest headlines and breaking news download the FOX News app: https://t.co/ISpW9Fc0R3
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 16, 2026
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Also discussed during the press conference was that the shooter was a special needs student at the school and targeted the special needs classroom he had attended, which had four students and a teacher in it at the time of the shooting. The teacher and three of the students were killed, and the fourth student was seriously injured.
Police say Griffin shot his way into the school using what was described as a “long gun” they say his mother purchased for him in August:
Officials said the gunman shot through a locked door to gain entry into the school around 1 p.m. local time and fired as many as 15 rounds in total and three types of ammunition were used. All of the victims were shot in the special needs classroom.
The shooter had an additional 44 rounds of ammunition in his possession, police said.
Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the teen’s mother purchased the long gun he used around his birthday in August.
NY Post: Oregon school shooter “tried to enter through the school’s front door but was blocked by two bystanders, including a dad of two little girls at the school…The man opened fire on Griffin with a concealed weapon he was carrying, thwarting the teen’s attempt to go in the front, sources said. Refusing to give up, Griffin ran around to the school’s back door and blew off its lock — which was designed to prevent such tragedies, sources said. He entered the school and headed straight for his former special-needs classroom and opened fire, killing three students, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher, while also injuring a 7-year-old in a wheelchair and a 54-year-old teacher before being gunned down by the gun-toting dad who had spotted him out front.”
https://t.co/yGutC18rgL— Steve Lookner (@lookner) October 16, 2026
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Two of the four deceased victims have also been identified:
The 5-year-old killed in a school shooting in Bend, Oregon on Thursday has been identified as Rhoam Summer, police said on Friday. The teacher who was killed has been identified as 25-year-old Megan Lambert. https://t.co/nGw1kFnhwT
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 16, 2026
The ages of the other two murdered students, who have not been named, were eight and 11. The wheelchair-bound female student who is in critical condition as of this writing is seven. According to reports, the girl’s teacher tried to shield her during the shooting. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family of the critically injured student with expenses, since they will be totally devoted to focusing on their child’s medical care and, we pray, her full recovery.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing as authorities look for more evidence and a possible motive.