Police on Oct. 16 identified 16-year-old Griffin J. John II as the suspect in the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting in Bend, Oregon, that took the lives of three children and a teacher. He was stopped by a teacher who tackled him and was then fatally shot by an armed father.
The suspect had previously been a special needs student at the elementary school, according to the police.
“Everyone wants to know why, including us,” Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a news conference on Oct. 17. “We may never get that full answer, but we want it.”
Authorities also said that the teacher threw her cellphone at the suspect and tackled him after he entered the classroom, which likely prevented further bloodshed at the school. She ultimately escaped uninjured, as the suspect was then shot and killed by a parent, Kaylub Giamanco.
Giamanco, a 36-year-old man whose children attend Silver Rail, had seen John firing at a truck before traveling toward the school. Giamanco parked and followed John inside armed with a .40-caliber pistol. He saw the suspect wrestling with the teacher, and he shot the suspect multiple times.
John, identified by police as a Bend resident, approached the school from an undeveloped area. He crossed the street, threw his weapon over the fence, and hopped over. A witness in a red Toyota pickup confronted John, who then fired his weapon at the pickup at least three times. The man left the scene and made the initial 911 call, which Krantz said came just before 1 p.m. More calls followed reporting that a shooter had entered the school, and officers arrived on scene at 1:02 p.m.
John entered the school through an external set of double doors. He shot through the glass panes to gain access to the school.
He killed three children, as well as a teacher, who authorities identified as Megan Lambert, 25. All victims were shot in a classroom that was a special needs classroom previously attended by John.
The three children killed were aged 5, 8, and 11. Another child, 7, and a teacher, 54, were injured and rushed to the hospital in critical condition, Krantz said. The child has since been updated to serious but stable condition.
The suspect was found dead inside the school minutes after the shooting was first reported, Krantz said.
Further 911 calls came from inside the school, and officers arrived on scene within minutes, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.
Children were taken by bus to a nearby church, which served as a reunification center for families. Parents hugged, kissed, and held their kids’ hands as they walked to their cars, with some bringing along favorite stuffed animals or other comfort items from home.
The school in Bend, which is located in the high desert about 125 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon, had 459 enrolled students as of last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education. The school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Classes, sports, and extracurriculars were canceled on Oct. 16 for all 32 schools in the Bend-La Pine district.
At a news conference, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said her heart was “absolutely broken” and thanked the civilian who pursued the shooter.
“To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life: Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
