Among the victims killed Thursday in a special education classroom at an Oregon elementary school were a 5-year-old boy whose family said they were “broken and lost” after the shooting and a young teacher with her “dream job.”
The shooting happened at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. Authorities said an armed bystander shot the armed teen, ending the shooting.
“A school should be a safe place where children can learn and feel safe. What happened today should never happen,” Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said Thursday.
Rhoam Summer, a 5-year-old with long, curly hair, was identified as one of the victims by a family member.
Rhoam’s father, Kelik Summer, posted in a Facebook group last night, saying Thursday was “the worst day of my life. My son Rhoam was killed in a school shooting.”
“We are broken and lost, but we are surrounded by friends and family who keep us safe,” Summer wrote.
Authorities did not identify the other children killed, ages 8 and 11, at the request of their families.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said when officers arrived, two boys and a teacher were dead at the scene. Police and medics tried to treat another boy, he said.
A 7-year-old injured in the shooting was stabilized in serious condition at a hospital, Krantz said. Another teacher, Becky Drury, 54, suffered “serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.
The family of the teacher killed in the attack identified her Friday as Megan Lambert, 25, a Central Oregon native and Boise State University graduate who dedicated her life to teaching and coaching girls at the Central Oregon Volleyball Club.
She was a substitute teacher before getting her full-time teaching position, the family said in a statement read at an afternoon news conference.
“She loved Silver Rail,” the family said. “It was his dream job.”
She also loved volleyball and refused to take a salary during her first year as coach so that girls whose families couldn’t afford participation fees could play, the family said.
“She always fought for the oppressed and those with special needs,” it reads.
In a statement, Drury’s husband thanked people for their support.
“The kindness and concern shown to our family and everyone involved means more than we can express,” her husband wrote.
“Right now, we are focused on my wife, Becky, and her recovery, and supporting our family during this incredibly difficult time,” he wrote. “We respectfully request privacy and space as we navigate the days ahead.”
The attack began shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday, police said, as the gunman scaled a perimeter fence of the school, shot through a double door and entered Lambert’s special education classroom, where he opened fire.
Krantz said another teacher, who was not named, threw a cellphone at the shooter during the attack and tackled him. “It certainly helped prevent further bloodshed,” he said. This teacher was not injured.
The bystander who shot the attacker entered a classroom in which a teacher and the shooter were in the middle of a physical altercation, Krantz said.
The shooter was a special needs student at the school, Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said at the news conference. A possible motive was still under investigation.
Kyle Giamanco identified the person who shot the shooter as his brother, Kaylub Giamanco, 36, a father of two children who attend elementary school.
Kaylub Giamanco is a hero, his brother told NBC News, but he doesn’t feel like one. He can’t get the kids out of his head and feels guilty for not saving more people, Kyle Giamanco said.
Kyle Giamanco also said he is friends with the family of the 7-year-old who is hospitalized. The child, who is in a wheelchair and was shot in the face, is recovering from surgery.
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