Shooting at Bend school (Oregon): 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher, was shot dead by an armed father of students

The key facts

Three children (5, 8, and 11 years old) and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert were killed; a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalized in critical condition.
The shooter was 16-year-old Griffin John II, a former student of the school; he was shot dead by Kailub Jamanko, a father of students who held a concealed carry permit.
The incident reignited the gun control debate: the NRA praised the armed civilian, while gun control advocates condemned the availability of weapons.

Course of the attack

On Thursday, October 15, 2026, at around 1:00 p.m. local time, Bend police (Oregon) received the first 911 call from a person in a car near Silver Rail Elementary School, reporting that a man with a long gun was shooting at his vehicle. According to police, the 16-year-old shooter, a Bend resident, climbed over a fence, shot through the school's locked doors with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, and headed to a special needs classroom, where he opened fire — according to police, he fired up to 15 shots. Police arrived three minutes after the calls and confirmed the suspect was already dead. According to AFP, the shooter had about 44 more rounds of ammunition on him.

Victims

Three children aged 5, 8, and 11 and a teacher were killed at the scene. At a Friday press conference, police named two of the dead: 5-year-old Roam Summer and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert; the families of the two other killed children asked that their names not be published. Another 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to hospital in critical condition; it was later reported that the child was in serious but stable condition. The school serves classes from kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 400–450 students and more than 40 staff members.

Intervention by a teacher and a passerby

According to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz, a third teacher threw her phone at the shooter and tried to wrestle the shotgun away from him, struggling with him on the classroom floor; she was unharmed and, in the police's assessment, 'almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed.' At that moment, Kailub Jamanko, a 36-year-old father of two students at the school who worked as a carpenter and was passing by on his way back from lunch, entered the school. Seeing the shooter firing at a car and through a window, he took a legally stored .40 caliber pistol from his vehicle and fired at the attacker 'multiple times,' killing him. Police did not officially name him, but his family confirmed it to the media; the family said he 'is not seeking recognition' and asked for privacy. Krantz called the actions of the teacher and the father 'true heroism.'

Reaction and remembrance

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek thanked the intervenor who 'heroically stopped further loss of life.' School district Superintendent Steve Cook called what happened 'an unthinkable tragedy.' President Donald Trump called Jamanko 'a great hero,' saying: 'thank God there was a man with a gun who knew how to use it.' On Thursday evening, hundreds of residents gathered for a candlelight vigil at Drake Park; an impromptu memorial of flowers, candles, and toys was laid at the school entrance. Classes in district schools were canceled on Friday.

The suspect and the investigation

Police identified the suspect as 16-year-old Griffin John II, who had previously attended Silver Rail as a special needs student and was not enrolled in the local public school system at the time of the attack. The motive remains unclear; according to police, he walked to the school, and a court-ordered search of his home is ongoing. Media reported that the weapon was purchased by the shooter's mother; according to AFP, she was seen being led away by police, and neighbor Chaunte Nickerson, as reported by The New York Times, said through tears: 'If I could have prevented this, I would have.' BBC, citing dispatch records, noted that the intervenor was likely a parent of a student.

Context: the gun debate

The tragedy reignited the familiar debate over gun control in the United States. The NRA stated on X that the incident 'reminds us of the importance of a law-abiding armed citizenry,' while the organization GIFFORDS wrote: 'America's gun violence crisis is killing our children. Enough.' According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 360 mass shootings (defined as four or more people shot, not counting the shooter) have been recorded in the US this year (AFP cited a figure of 371). According to Education Week, there have been 26 school shootings with casualties this year. The deadliest school shooting in US history occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, when 32 people were killed.