Four Killed as Gunfire Hits Bend Special-Needs Class

A 16-year-old former student opened fire in a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, killing three children and a teacher, authorities said. One teacher tried to disarm him; a 36-year-old parent fatally shot him with a pistol.

The Classroom Took the Loss

The children killed were 5, 8 and 11 years old. The teacher was 25. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher suffered critical injuries. The shooting happened Thursday, October 15, 2026, in a classroom with students of mixed ages.

Police identified the shooter as Griffin J. John II. Around 1 p.m., police said, he climbed over the school campus fence and fired at a witness in a pickup truck who confronted him verbally. He then shot through the glass panes of an external set of double doors to enter the school and fired multiple rounds into the classroom.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the weapon was a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun. John used birdshot, buckshot and slugs, Krantz said, and had about 44 rounds of ammunition remaining. A senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told CNN that John's mother had purchased the gun.

Oregon law doesn't allow a 16-year-old to purchase a shotgun. It does allow possession if a parent transferred or provided the weapon, as well as temporary possession for hunting, target practice or shooting sports. Authorities said they were still investigating how John accessed the gun. The law draws its lines; investigators are now trying to establish what happened inside one family and one school.

John's mother spoke to CNN off camera from her balcony and declined to comment on how he accessed the weapon. She cried and smoked a cigarette as she said, “I miss my boy. I'm so sorry.” Speaking to the families of those killed, she said, “I wish I could have done something. I'm sorry for their loss.” She also told CNN, “He was a good boy,” and said there had been no warning signs before the shooting.

Institutions Search for Answers

Officials said John had attended special needs classes at Silver Rail, but couldn't confirm whether he was in the particular classroom where the shooting occurred. The program serves children with “intensive behavioral and social skills challenges,” officials said.

During the pandemic, his mother spoke with CNN affiliate KTVZ about hoping in-person classes for children with special needs would resume. Her then-10-year-old son had struggled with remote learning and looked forward to returning to school in 2020, she said. “I think it will be great for my son to get the help that he needs from the skilled teachers that he needs to get it from,” she told KTVZ.

The shooter's parents spoke with investigators Thursday and cooperated, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told CNN. Authorities searched the family home that day and recovered computers and other electronic devices, the official said. Investigators obtained additional warrants to retrieve data from those devices. Local investigators and the FBI planned to examine them for evidence that could explain the attack.

No clear motive had emerged from interviews so far, a law enforcement source said. Police were also examining possible mental health concerns or warning signs. Investigators and law enforcement lead the inquiry; families whose children were killed face the immediate cost of what happened.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the district would investigate its emergency response procedures, safety planning and other aspects of the shooting once law enforcement allowed it. The district's review can't begin until the police investigation permits it. Krantz said authorities were investigating what led to the shooting and cautioned that answers would take time.

“Everyone wants to know why, including us,” Krantz said at a news conference Friday. “We may never get that full answer, but we want it.”