Oregon School Shooter Received Shotgun as Birthday Gift

A shotgun used in the killing of three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, was a birthday present from the suspect's mother, according to sources who spoke to CBS News. The 16-year-old, Griffin J. John II, used the firearm in an attack last week that also injured two people.

The weapon was a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, which Shauntai Nickerson, the suspect's mother, legally purchased in August 2026, the sources told CBS News. She gave the gun to her son for recreational use, according to the same sources.

Police said the suspect first fired at a passing pickup truck before forcing his way into the school by shooting through the glass panes of a set of double doors. He then entered the first classroom to the left of the doors and killed four people.

The victims included children ages 5, 8 and 11, according to police. The deceased teacher was identified as 25-year-old Megan Lambert. Police and the family identified the 5-year-old victim as Rhoam Summer, while the families of the other two children had not publicly released their names.

The two people wounded were a 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher. Police said Monday that nine people, including four adults and five children, had been inside the classroom when the shooting occurred.

A bystander, 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco, shot and killed the suspect, police said. Giamanco, a Bend resident whose two daughters attend Silver Rail Elementary School, witnessed the initial shooting involving the pickup truck and followed the attacker into the school.

Authorities identified the suspect as a former Silver Rail Elementary School student. Police have not announced a motive for the attack.

In 2020, Nickerson spoke to local television station KTVZ about her son's educational needs and difficulties with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, her son was 10 years old.

"It'll be great for my son to get back in there and get the help that he needs with the skilled teachers that he needs to get it from," Nickerson told KTVZ.

Her remarks concerned the prospect of her son returning to in-person education and receiving specialized support from teachers.

The investigation continued as authorities examined the suspect's digital activity. Law enforcement sources previously told CBS News that investigators were reviewing his computer, phone, social media accounts, search history and other online activity.

The Bend Police Department said Monday it expected to finish collecting evidence at the school by the end of the day. Officials planned to return the building to the school district after evidence collection was complete.