A teacher injured in last week’s attack on a special education classroom at an Oregon elementary school never had the chance to try to shelter the children inside, she said Wednesday in a statement released by a family friend.
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Becky Drury said she ran to see what was happening, but immediately saw the shooter and rushed to the classroom.
“I turned around to close the door behind me, but the shooter was already there,” Drury said. “Before I could do anything more, he shot me at point blank range and I fell to the ground.”
His left hand was almost severed by a gunshot, and his right arm was also hit. Unable to stand up or defend herself or others, she said, “I did the only thing I could do, which was pretend to be dead in the hopes that he wouldn’t shoot me again.” »
Three children – ages 5, 8 and 11 – and a teacher were killed last Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, when a former student, Griffin J. John II, 16, forced his way through locked doors with a shotgun and attacked the classroom. Another student was seriously injured.
The shotgun used in the attack was purchased legally, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said in an update to the city council Wednesday. But he did not say who bought it and said investigators were still determining how the item ended up in the shooter’s hands.
The Associated Press previously reported that it was purchased by the shooter’s mother, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to discuss the investigation.
Authorities said another teacher threw her phone at the attacker, then attacked him and struggled with him for control of the gun, likely saving lives before the shooter was shot and killed by a father who followed him into the building.
Some reports had suggested that Drury threw herself on a student to protect her. Drury, who remains hospitalized, said she wants to set the record straight.
“Accurate and respectful reporting is a truly important service that will help heal the wounds inflicted by this terrible day,” she said.
The district closed schools after the shooting but reopened them Wednesday everywhere except Silver Rail. Dozens of police officers were present at each school to greet the children, the Bend Police Department said.
“We have some families who are not ready yet, and we most certainly have Silver Rail families who are still going through a lot of processes,” said Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook.
In a social media post, the police department said its investigation included executing search warrants at the attacker’s home, as well as his electronic devices and social media accounts.
Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.
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