Oregon elementary school shooter targeted special needs classroom: Police

The 16-year-old suspect was subdued by a teacher before being shot by a man who followed him into the school.BEND, Ore. (CN) — Police confirmed on Friday that the 16-year-old suspected shooter who killed four at a Bend, Oregon, elementary school on Thursday targeted a special needs classroom and was a former special needs student at the school himself.The suspect, whom police identified as Griffin J. John II, killed three children and one adult teacher before being taken down by a bystander.Bend Police said John, armed with a shotgun, fired at a red pickup truck outside Silver Rail Elementary School before firing multiple rounds into the glass panes of the locked doors to gain entry into the building. Once inside, he fired as many as 15 rounds in a special needs classroom, using three types of ammunition in total.A 36-year-old man, who police said happened to be passing by the school when he saw John force entry, used a .40 caliber pistol to strike John multiple times, killing him before law enforcement officers arrived on scene.“I don’t think you can underestimate or underappreciate that courage when someone is willing to risk their own life for others; we recognize that,” Bend Police Department Chief Mike Krantz said at a media briefing on Friday, noting the man who stopped the shooter asked that his name not be publicly released at the briefing. “And the quick thinking to observe, to then park and follow someone into a school is incredible and undoubtedly saved lives.”Police said a teacher had also intervened to subdue the suspect before the bystander arrived. The teacher threw her cellphone at John, then tackled him and tried to wrestle the firearm away from him.“She was uninjured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed,” Krantz said, calling the teacher’s actions heroic.Two of the victims were publicly identified on Friday: 5-year-old Rhoam Summer and 25-year-old Megan Lambert. The other victims include an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old.Two more were injured in the shooting and are still being treated for their injuries: a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher.Lambert’s family described her as a passionate teacher and coach.“To tell you about who Megan was would take 25 years,” Lambert’s family said in a written statement, read aloud at a press conference on Friday. “She was funny, opinionated and she lit up a room.”Police said that while John had been a former student at the elementary school, he was not currently enrolled in any schools in the district. Authorities did not reveal any possible motive behind the attack.“Everyone wants to know why, including us,” Krantz said. “That’s part of the current, very active, open investigation we’re working on … we may never get the full answer, but we want it.”Police are still investigating how John got possession of the shotgun used in the attack.The fatal shooting on Thursday unfolded quickly. Area dispatchers first received a call at 12:59 p.m. Thursday from the driver of a red pickup truck parked outside the elementary school who reported that someone was shooting at them. Police put the school into lockdown and arrived on the scene three minutes later, finding the suspect already dead.Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the tragedy has shaken the Silver Rail Elementary School community.“This has been a terrifying and traumatic experience that will affect us all profoundly for years to come,” Cook said. “Today and the days ahead, we are focused primarily on crisis response and support to everyone in our community and to anyone who’s seeking help.”Emergency crisis counselors supported over 200 people in Bend over the last 24 hours, and Holly Harris, director of Deschutes County Health Services, said free counseling support will be ongoing as those impacted by the shooting process the event.“Our community has responded with extraordinary compassion,” Harris said. “In the days ahead, we will continue to stand with one another, care for one another and help carry one another through this unimaginable loss.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads