Becky Drury Says She Played Dead in Bend School Shooting

Becky Drury, the 54-year-old teacher wounded in the Oct. 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, said she lay on her classroom floor and pretended to be dead after a gunman shot her at close range and nearly severed her left hand.

Drury described the attack in a written statement released Wednesday. "Once I realized something was happening outside, I ran to see what was going on. I then saw the shooter and immediately ran back into the classroom. I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there. Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground," she said.

"Lying on the floor, I saw that my left hand was almost completely severed from the gunshot, and my other arm was also severely injured," Drury said. "I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else. So, I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again."

She put out the statement to correct the record

Bend police had previously said Drury shielded 7-year-old student Saylor during the attack, KPTV reported. Her statement contradicts that account. She said she wanted to share her memories "because I want to make sure the events of that day and my actions in particular are reported accurately."

"This is what I remember. I know there has been contradictory reporting about my actions that day, but the truth is I was shot before I had any chance to act," Drury said.

She closed by asking for space. "We also ask for continued privacy and space as we continue down the long road of recovery," she said, and she asked reporters to rely on trusted voices in the Bend community, calling accurate and respectful reporting a service that would help heal the wounds from that day.

"What happened in that classroom was unimaginable, and like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy," Drury said. "My thoughts are with those who were hurt, those we lost, their families, our school, and the Bend community."

Surgery on an arm and a hand

Drury needed surgery on her left arm and right hand, her husband, Will Drury, said. Her mother-in-law, Yvonne Drury, posted on Facebook: "Our wonderful daughter-in-law, Becky was shot thr[ough] her left arm and right hand, and is recovering in the hospital after surgery this afternoon."

Bend police described her injuries as serious but not life-threatening and said she was being treated at St. Charles Bend. Saylor, the wounded student, was given lifesaving care at the school and taken to Oregon Health & Science University, police said.

Three minutes from the first 911 call

The gunman, identified by police as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II of Bend, walked toward the school fence from an undeveloped area about 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said. He crossed the street, threw his shotgun over the fence and climbed over it.

The driver of a red Toyota pickup saw him and called out to him. John fired at least three times at the pickup. The driver kept going and made the first 911 call, which came in at 12:59 p.m.

John forced his way inside by firing into the glass panes of an outside set of double doors, then turned left and went straight into a classroom, where he fired up to 15 rounds, Krantz said. Four adults and five children were in that special education classroom. Officers arrived at 1:02 p.m., three minutes after the first call, and found John dead.

A 25-year-old teacher and three boys

All four people killed died inside the same classroom. They were boys ages 5, 8 and 11, and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. The father of the 5-year-old identified him as Rhoam Summer, and in a statement read by police, Kelik Summer said Thursday was "the worst day of my life." The K-12 School Shooting Database, which tracks planned school attacks back to 1966, lists Rhoam as the youngest victim of one.

Lambert's family said she grew up in Bend and loved volleyball enough to coach it, turning down pay for her first season so families who could not afford the fees could still play. "Her goal was to be an educator, and teach in the school district she loved growing up in," her family said. "Silver Rail was her first job as a teacher, though she subbed there for many years. She loved Silver Rail. This was her dream job."

The teacher who threw her cellphone

Another teacher in the classroom threw her cellphone at the gunman, tackled him and fought to pull the shotgun away from him, police said. She was not hurt.

Krantz singled her out at a news conference the day after the attack. "She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed," he said. Her name has not been released.

The parent who went in after him

Kaylub Giamanco, 36, a father of two Silver Rail students, retrieved a .40-caliber pistol that was legally locked in his car, followed John through the broken doors after hearing gunfire and seeing the teacher fighting with him, then went into the classroom and fired, hitting John multiple times, Krantz said.

Giamanco's mother, Kenda Freeman, who lives in Sacramento, said he called her shortly afterward. "Kaylub knew something was not right, so he pulled up onto the grass, grabbed his gun and basically stalked the gunman back into the school," she said in an interview. "He crawled through a window that the gunman had shot out. He army-crawled through the window."

Freeman said she told her son he was a hero and that he did the right thing. His answer, she said: "Mom, I couldn't save them all."

A statement released by Giamanco's family said he is not seeking recognition and wants to thank first responders, school staff and the community. The family asked for privacy and said they would not give interviews.

President Trump called him a "great hero" who "took care of business." Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said the bystander "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life" and noted that the act carries "a heavy emotional burden." Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook thanked both the teacher and the parent: "Thank you both for intervening on behalf of our students. I believe your actions saved lives."

A legally purchased shotgun and 44 extra rounds

Bend police confirmed Wednesday that the firearm used in the attack was "purchased legally" and said they would not release further details about the gun. Law enforcement sources have said the shotgun was bought by John's mother. How the 16-year-old got the gun and the ammunition remains under investigation.

The weapon was a 12-gauge Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun. John used three types of 12-gauge ammunition, Krantz said: birdshot, buckshot and slugs. Police said he had 44 additional rounds with him, concealed in a backpack or on his person. A motive has not been determined.

Detectives are working through what the department called a "complex investigation." They have served search warrants at the suspect's home and on his electronic devices and his social media accounts across several platforms. "That work continues, and it takes time," police said.

Locked doors, cameras and a check-in desk

Silver Rail is a two-story school in the southeast part of Bend, finished in 2015. The school and the district's middle and high schools have secure vestibules where visitors must check in with office staff and sign in through an electronic system that verifies a background check before they are buzzed in. Cameras cover the inside and outside of the buildings, and the district has armed school resource officers, though the one assigned to Silver Rail covers several schools and was at another when the shooting began.

Classroom doors lock from the inside, and some of the locks were upgraded in 2022. John got in by shooting out the glass in the locked exterior doors.

The district reopened Wednesday

Bend-La Pine Schools began welcoming students back to its other campuses on Wednesday, the first school day since the attack. Dozens of officers were posted at each school to greet students, police said.

"You'll likely see an increase in police presence in and around our schools over the coming days and weeks," the Bend Police Department said. "That's because we want students and staff to feel as comfortable as they can during a difficult, emotional time."

The district said students and staff returned to drawings and notes sent in from outside the schools. "Heartfelt artwork and messages of love reminded our students and staff that they are surrounded by a community that cares deeply for them," the district said.

Drury also thanked the people who have reached out. "I am truly grateful for the kindness and support we have received as we face the difficult days ahead together," she said.