Oregon school shooting: Bend police identify 16-year-old special needs student as shooter; probe underway to find motive

Police identified 16-year-old Griffin J. John II as the shooter who killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon. A parent shot him dead inside the school.

A day after four people were killed at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, police have identified the shooter as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II.

Oregon school shooter identified: What we know so far

According to authorities, John was once a special needs student at Silver Rail Elementary, the same school where he killed three students and a 25-year-old teacher. Authorities added that he attacked a classroom full of special needs students.

AP, citing City of Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz, said that the teen shooter fired as many as 15 shots from a 12-gauge shotgun and had about 44 rounds remaining when he was killed.

As investigators try to determine the motive behind the shooting and how the 16-year-old obtained the pump-action shotgun, Krantz said, "Everyone wants to know why, including us,” and added, “We may never get that full answer, but we want it.”

According to the report, the pump-action shotgun was bought by the teen shooter's mother, identified as Shauntai Nickerson. She told reporters that if she could have done something to prevent the incident, she would have. She said, "I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something. I’m sorry for their loss," and added, "I miss my boy." However, Nickerson did not reveal how her 16-year-old son obtained the pump-action shotgun.

Following the latest shooting, Nickerson's earlier interview with local news station KTVZ in 2020 has also come to light. In it, she identified the boy, who was 10 then, as a participant in a special needs programme called NEST, which stands for Nurturing Empathy, Safety and Trust. The programme aimed to help students experiencing intensive behavioural and social skills challenges. Nickerson said he struggled to learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shooter killed minutes after first emergency call

According to Krantz, a man driving a red pickup truck made the first 911 call early Thursday afternoon after seeing John toss a gun over a fence outside the school and climb over it. When the driver shouted at him, John opened fire, striking the truck three times. The driver escaped injury.

Another driver, identified as Kaylub Giamanco, 36, whose children attend Silver Rail school, witnessed the gunfire directed at the pickup and saw John move towards the school. The 16-year-old then fired through the locked doors to enter the building. Giamanco drove into the parking lot, took his .40-caliber pistol and followed him inside. On finding John struggling with a teacher, Giamanco shot him multiple times.

Oregon elementary school shooting

On Thursday (local time), three children, aged 5, 8 and 11, and teacher Meghan Lambert, 25, were killed after John fired through the locked doors and entered the school. A seven-year-old child was also injured, received lifesaving care at the scene and is now hospitalised, along with a 54-year-old teacher who was shot in the arm and hand.

Located in Bend, Oregon, more than 100 miles (160 kilometres) southeast of Portland, the school caters to children from kindergarten through fifth grade. Oregon Department of Education figures show it had 459 students enrolled last year.

(with agency inputs)

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Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.