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A teen accused of gunning down three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school on Thursday has been identified as former student Griffin J. John II, police officials said at a Friday press conference.
The 16-year-old previously attended Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend in the special needs classroom he targeted, where officials said an armed bystander fatally shot the teen and interrupted the shooting spree. A female teacher also struggled with John to try to take control of the firearm, a Mossberg Maverick 88 shotgun, officials said on Friday.
“She was not injured in that incident but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed,” Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said, later praising both the bystander and the teacher as heroic and selfless.
Victims included children ages 5, 8 and 11. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were critically injured.
Rhoam Summer has been identified by his family and officials as the youngest victim. The little boy had long, curly hair and his death has left his family “broken and lost,” according to a family statement.
Teacher and volleyball coach Megan Lambert, 25, was another victim identified. The other names will not be released at the request of their families, officials said.
Krantz said the teen gunman shot at a vehicle multiple times before throwing his weapon over a property fence and climbing it to enter the premises.
Officials said the gunman shot through a locked door to gain entry into the school around 1 p.m. local time and fired as many as 15 rounds in total and three types of ammunition were used. All of the victims were shot in the special needs classroom.
The shooter had an additional 44 rounds of ammunition in his possession, police said.
Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the teen’s mother purchased the long gun he used around his birthday in August.
The mother, whose name was not released, has been cooperative with law enforcement thus far, according to other law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation. The shooter’s weapon was pump-action shotgun.
A search warrant was executed at the shooters house on Friday as investigators collected evidence to try to ascertain motive and other factors. There was also an active crime scene analysis underway.
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Police and federal investigators have not publicly identified a motive.
“There are simply no words for the loss that we have suffered today,” Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said at a community vigil hours after the tragedy.
CORRECTION (Oct. 16, 2026, 6:15 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misnamed the gunman in the Bend, Oregon, school shooting. He is Griffin J. John II not John Griffin II.
Tom Winter is NBC’s National Law Enforcement and Intelligence Correspondent.
Andrew Blankstein is an investigative reporter for NBC News. He covers the Western U.S., specializing in crime, courts and homeland security.
Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.
Shayna Jacobs is a national reporter for NBC News digital.
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