Nearly two weeks after a devastating mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, a wounded teacher who survived the attack has broken her silence to share the harrowing sequence of events that unfolded on October 15, correcting conflicting media reports in the process. The attack, which left four people dead and multiple others injured, has reignited national conversations about gun violence in U.S. K-12 schools, a crisis that continues to plague communities across the country.
Becky Drury, the 54-year-old special education teacher who was shot by the attacker, recalled the moment she first spotted the gunman outside her classroom. Stepping out to investigate the commotion, Drury quickly realized the danger and rushed to close her classroom door to block the shooter’s entry. Despite her quick reaction, the 16-year-old suspect – identified as Griffin J John II, a former special education student at the school – managed to fire a shot that struck her before she could secure the door.
Gravely injured and unable to stand, fight back, or shield her students, Drury made a split-second decision that likely saved her life: she collapsed to the floor and feigned death. “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 said in her first public statement since the attack, shared with multiple U.S. media outlets. The bullet left Drury with catastrophic injuries: her left hand was nearly fully severed, and her other arm sustained severe damage. “I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else,” she added.
The attack claimed the lives of three students – 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, an 8-year-old, and an 11-year-old – and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. Drury emphasized that contrary to circulating incorrect reports, she never had the opportunity to throw herself over a student to shield them from gunfire, a narrative that spread widely in early coverage of the tragedy. “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,” she explained.
Multiple other acts of bravery have been confirmed by law enforcement in the wake of the shooting. An unnamed second teacher was not injured after throwing her cell phone at the suspect in an attempt to disarm him. A local father of two, who followed the suspect into the school building after he entered, ultimately fatally shot the attacker, stopping the violence before more lives could be lost.
To date, law enforcement officials have not released any information about a possible motive for the shooting. In her statement, Drury reflected on the profound trauma that has shaken the small Bend community. “What happened in the classroom was unimaginable,” she said. “Like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy.” Drury is currently recovering from serious but non-life-threatening injuries, as the community of Bend and the broader United States grapple with yet another mass shooting at a primary school.