A teacher threw her phone at the teenage gunman who killed four people at an Oregon elementary school , then tackled and fought with him — likely saving lives before he was shot by a father who followed him into the building, police said on Friday (October 16, 2026).
The police chief added that police are also still trying to determine how the shooter obtained the gun. He saw John wrestling with the teacher and shot him several times, Mr. Police found John dead in the school minutes after the first calls for help, Mr.
He identified the attacker as 16-year-old Griffin J. A second driver, a 36-year-old man whose children attend Silver Rail, saw John shooting at the truck and heading toward the school. He pulled into the parking lot, grabbed his .40-caliber pistol and followed the attacker inside. The children who were killed were ages 5, 8 and 11, Mr. Three children ages 5, 8 and 11, and teacher Meghan Lambert, 25, were killed, police said. Another 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were wounded and were taken to a hospital in critical condition, Krantz said.
City of Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz called the teacher’s actions “heroic” during a news conference and said she was not injured. John II and said all of the victims were shot in the same classroom. Krantz said. John shot through locked doors to get inside, police said.
The youngest victim was a fast runner and fearless climber who loved reading and his stuffed animals, his aunt said Friday.
Because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the investigation, the official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
The pump-action shotgun the attacker used was bought by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting.
