3 Children, Teacher Killed at Bend School Shooting

Three children and a 25-year-old teacher died after a 16-year-old former student opened fire in a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. The children were 5, 8 and 11 years old. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher remain in critical condition.

Police identified the gunman as Griffin J. John II. A 36-year-old parent shot and killed him with a pistol.

“Everyone wants to know why, including us,” Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a Friday news conference.

What Happened

Around 1 p.m., John climbed over the school campus fence, police said, then fired at a witness in a pickup truck who confronted him verbally. He shot through the glass panes of an external set of double doors to get inside. In a classroom of students of mixed ages, he fired multiple rounds. A teacher tried to disarm him before the parent stepped in.

John used a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, Krantz said. It held birdshot, buckshot and slugs. When he was stopped, he still had about 44 rounds of ammunition.

How a Teenager Got the Gun

A senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told CNN that John’s mother had purchased the shotgun. Oregon law doesn’t allow a 16-year-old to buy one. But a parent can transfer or provide the weapon, and the law permits temporary possession for hunting, target practice or shooting sports.

That gap between purchase and possession now sits at the center of the inquiry. John’s mother spoke to CNN off camera from her balcony but declined to say how he got the weapon; authorities said they’re still investigating. “I miss my boy. I’m so sorry,” she said, crying. Addressing the victims’ families, she said, “I wish I could have done something. I’m sorry for their loss.” She also said, “He was a good boy,” and that there had been no warning signs before the shooting.

A Classroom Built to Help Kids Who Need More

The shooting happened in a special needs classroom, a program for children who need extra support. Officials said John had previously attended special needs classes at Silver Rail but couldn’t confirm whether he’d been in that particular classroom. They described the program as serving children with “intensive behavioral and social skills challenges.”

His mother, a health aide at a local nursing home, spoke with CNN affiliate KTVZ in 2020, during the pandemic, about hoping in-person classes for children with special needs would resume. She said her then-10-year-old son had struggled with remote learning. “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 the station.

The Investigation

John’s parents spoke with investigators Thursday and cooperated, the senior law enforcement official said. Authorities searched the family home that day and recovered computers and other electronic devices. Investigators obtained additional warrants to pull data from the devices. Local investigators and the FBI planned to examine them for evidence that could explain the attack.

So far, interviews have produced no clear motive, a law enforcement source said. Police are also examining possible mental health concerns or warning signs.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the district will investigate its emergency response procedures, safety planning and other aspects of the shooting once law enforcement allows it. Krantz cautioned that answers will take time. “We may never get that full answer, but we want it,” he said.

Why This Matters:

The victims were among the youngest and most vulnerable students in the building, in a classroom meant to give them extra care. Oregon’s law bars a 16-year-old from buying a shotgun but lets a parent hand one over; that distinction now sits at the heart of a fatal case. Public institutions must answer questions about how the teen reached the weapon, whether warning signs were missed, and how the school district’s safety planning held up. The superintendent’s promised review and the police investigation will test whether the systems meant to protect children can explain what failed. For families of the dead and the two critically injured, those answers matter as much as the facts of that afternoon.