Authorities are investigating what led a 16-year-old former student to open fire at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, killing three children and a teacher in an attack that has shocked the community.
Police identified the suspect as Griffin J. John II, who entered the school on Thursday, October 15, and fired multiple rounds into a special needs classroom, according to CNN.
The victims were three children aged five, eight and 11, and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also injured and taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said investigators were working to establish the motive behind the attack. “Everyone wants to know why, including us,” he said during a news conference.
According to police, the teenager climbed over the school’s perimeter fence at about 1 p.m. before shooting at a person in a pickup truck who had challenged him. He then forced his way into the building by firing at the glass panels of locked entrance doors.
Inside, the suspect fired into the classroom before a teacher attempted to wrestle the shotgun away from him. Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old father of two pupils at the school, then entered the building and fatally shot the teenager.
Investigators have also examined the suspect’s home and recovered computers and other electronic devices as they seek clues about his actions and possible warning signs. A source briefed on the investigation told CNN that the shotgun used in the attack had been purchased by the teenager’s mother.
Authorities have not established a motive, and the investigation remains ongoing. The shooting has renewed concerns about school security and access to firearms in the United States.
