A compassionate teacher and her young students: What we know about the victims of the Bend school shooting

By Ray Sanchez, CNN

(CNN) — The three children and a teacher shot to death at Silver Rail Elementary School in central Oregon were in a classroom dedicated to students with special needs – an environment that’s supposed to be nurturing, safe and supportive.

As is the case with mass shootings, the dead and wounded aren’t the only victims. The pain, trauma and grief reach a much wider circle, including survivors, first responders, members of the community and parents and siblings left to share their loved ones memory.

On Thursday morning, picture day at the school with more than 400 students, Megan Lambert — a teacher and fierce advocate with a “huge heart” who “always fought for the underdog and those with special needs” — died performing her “dream job,” according to her family.

They remembered Lambert, an Oregon native who grew up in Bend, graduated from Mountain View High School in 2019 and from Boise State in 2023, as “compassionate.” The 25-year-old, who was passionate about sports, turned down pay her first season as a volleyball coach to help families who couldn’t afford to participate, they said.

Lambert, who was a substitute at Silver Rail before becoming a full-time teacher, also traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to sharpen her skills teaching English as a second language.

She was “funny and opinionated” and “lit up a room” with her presence, the family said in a statement.

A wide circle of trauma and grief

The three children fatally shot were Lambert’s students, including 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, who had long, curly blond hair and wore a blue jacket while climbing a small tree in a family photo released by police on Friday. Two others, who have not been identified publicly at the request of their families, were 8 and 11.

“Today has been the worst day of my life,” Kelik Summer wrote in a Facebook post to a community he’s part of, referring to the death of his son. “We are broken and lost, but are surrounded by friends and family who are keeping us safe.”

Saylor Graham, 7, and Becky Drury, a 54-year-old teacher, were injured and taken to local hospitals.

The latest tragedy in an American school occurred at about 1 p.m. Thursday in the city of Bend. A 16-year-old shooter forced his way into the school by firing into the glass panes of an external set of doors, according to police. He was identified as Griffin J. John II, a former special needs student at the school, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.

The shooter went straight into the classroom just left of the entrance and fired as many as 15 rounds, according to Krantz.

A teacher, who was not injured, threw her cellphone at the shooter, tackled him and tried to get the gun, the police chief said. Kaylub Giamanco, whose children attend the school, had earlier seen the shooter open fire on a man who verbally confronted the suspect outside the school.

Giamanco, carrying a legally secured 40-caliber pistol, followed the suspect, police said. When he saw the teacher physically struggling with the shooter, Giamanco fired multiple times and killed the suspect.

“All of us were screaming and we were all like really scared,” 9-year-old Kalani Journeigh told Reuters.

The fourth grader and other students hid in an unfamiliar room for about 30 minutes as gunshots erupted nearby. She recalled finding it hard to breathe. Her friend’s cries mixed with the sound of police car sirens before officers arrived and escorted students and staff out the building. Now Kalani was drawing a purple heart on the pavement at a makeshift memorial outside Silver Rail Elementary.

Asked what went through her mind, Kalani said, “That we might die.”

Another student, a 9-year-old boy, recalled the principal saying, “lockdown, lockdown,” as shots rang out, CNN affiliate KGW reported. For 30 minutes, he cowered in fear under a sink. He remembered a girl imploring, “Please, please, no,” followed by another shot “and then dead silence.”

The family of Becky Drury, the teacher wounded in the shooting, is going “through an unimaginably difficult time,” her husband, Will Drury, said in a statement.

Yvonne Drury wrote in Facebook post that “our wonderful daughter-in-law Becky” was recovering in a hospital after surgery. She shared a post by her son, in which Will Drury writes that his wife’s “left arm took a lot of damage so there’s a long recovery and more surgeries ahead.”

“Her right hand took a hit as well, which also required surgery, but it is much less severe,” he wrote. “The good news is she will be ok and we all get to keep that magnificent woman we love so much in our lives.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers, and well-wishes,” the family said in the statement, which was released by Zack Hall, a family spokesperson.

“The kindness and concern shown to our family and everyone affected mean more than we can express. We live in a truly special community,” Will Drury said. “Right now, our focus is on my wife, Becky, and her recovery.”

Saylor, who was identified in two verified GoFundMe campaigns, is described in one as a “feisty, loving child with numerous medical needs.” The shooting has brought medical expenses and uncertainty to her family, according to the fundraising campaign.

Donations will help with medical bills, lodging, transportation and lost wages as her family remains by her side during her recovery. Police said earlier that a 7-year-old received lifesaving care at the shooting scene and that she was in serious but stable condition at a hospital.

“Saylor is the definition of light and joy. Her life story of determination, resilience, and strength has inspired countless students and others in her community, including those of us at Sparrow Clubs,” Matt Sampson, executive director of the nonprofit that helps children facing medical conditions, said in a statement.

Outside Silver Rail Elementary on Saturday, four small crosses with hearts and handwritten messages were erected at a growing makeshift memorial for the victims.

The joy and innocence that greeted students and teachers on their return to school in early September has been lost, replaced by a somber and quiet aura. A school year, and sense of safety, shattered.

The entrance to Silver Rail Elementary is now a gathering place for a community’s wider circle of pain, trauma and grief – with people donating flower bouquets, stuffed animals, candles and heart-shaped balloons as children leave colorful chalk drawings on the pavement. A community that had been full now mourns and misses four beloved members.

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CNN’s Norma Galeana, Nayeli Jaramillo-Plata, Nic F. Anderson, Maria Aguilar Prieto, Dalia Faheid, Emma Tucker, Elise Hammond, Alaa Elassar, Caroll Alvarado, Alisha Ebrahimji, Amanda Jackson, Leigh Waldman, John Miller and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.