The father of the youngest victim in an Oregon elementary school shooting that left four people dead has identified his five-year-old son and shared his devastating grief.
Kelik Summer named Rhoam Summer as one of three children killed inside Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend on Thursday. Police said the gunman was 16-year-old John J. Griffin.
In a Facebook post, Kelik wrote: “Today has been the worst day of my life. My son Rhoam was killed in a school shooting.
“We are broken and lost, but are surrounded by friends and family who are keeping us safe.”
The message was soon met with an outpouring of condolences, prayers and support from members of the community.
Rhoam, an eight-year-old child, an 11-year-old child and a teacher were killed in the attack. Griffin was shot and killed by 36-year-old bystander Kaylub Giamanco, who was credited with stopping the gunman.
Griffin reportedly used a shotgun believed to have been given to him by his mother to break through the locks of a “safety vestibule” designed to protect the school. He then entered Silver Rail’s special education area and opened fire.
A seven-year-old wheelchair user and a 54-year-old teacher were also shot. Both survived but remained critically ill in hospital. Authorities have not disclosed a motive. Griffin had attended the elementary school when he was younger.
A woman who answered Lillian Summer’s phone on Friday morning said Rhoam’s mother did not wish to comment further when contacted by Our News Outlet.
Rhoam is pictured with his mother, Lillian, in an image shared through a local fundraiser for the family.
Rhoam is pictured with his father, Kelik, who described Thursday as “the worst day of my life.”
Floral tributes were placed outside Silver Lake Elementary School in Oregon on Thursday evening after a shooting that killed three students and a teacher.
Bystander Kaylub Giamanco, pictured, confronted Griffin and helped prevent an even greater loss of life.
The local community has rallied around the grieving family. A Meal Train launched on Thursday night had raised more than $23,000.
The fundraiser said: “In the wake of an unimaginable tragedy, the Summer family is grieving the heartbreaking loss of their sweet five-year-old son, Rhoam.
“There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child, and no family should ever have to experience a loss like this.
“As they navigate the days and weeks ahead, we want to come together as a community to surround them with love, compassion and support.”
One mother also remembered Rhoam, saying: “Rhoam was a wonderful friend to my boys and to our whole family.
“I don’t have any great or inspirational words. It’s hard to find any words, really. He was precious and full of pure love.
“We will always remember him and carry him in our hearts. This is a nightmare, but I know we need to remain strong and support his family and the families of the other victims right now.”
‘And our community as a whole. We need each other more than ever today. If you can, please help Rhoam’s family during this time that is just unimaginable. So many prayers heard today.
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‘We need to keep them going. Don’t let up. We all love you very much Rhoam and Summer family.’
The youngster is seen here alongside his mother in images shared to her social media
A woman grieves at a candlelight memorial out front of Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday evening
The teenager was holding on to the firearm when a man in a pickup idling outside noticed he was heading towards the school, personnel are seen here working the scene on Thursday
Upon learning what her son had done, Griffin’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson, told police: ‘If I could have prevented this, I would have,’ according to an investigation official cited by The New York Times.
It has also since emerged that the children inside were dressed their best ahead of photo day, with one girl who had to hide in silence too traumatized to sleep.
One of those he injured was identified locally as Saylor Graham, 7, a young girl with special needs.
A GoFundMe has been organized to help her family, with locals already raising over $30,000 for her family. A link to the page is here.
Hannah Ferrie told The New York Times that her two young daughters, ages five and seven, are so scared after surviving Thursday’s shooting.
She said her seven-year-old was forced to sit in silence next to her second-grade teacher after they heard gunshots and glass shattering, and now she can’t leave her mother’s side and is too scared to sleep alone.
‘It’s such a relief, and also a feeling of profound guilt that other parents didn’t get that,’ Ferrie said.
‘This is a systemic problem that the United States exclusively has. It’s because we value Second Amendment rights over children’s lives, and that has to change. If I hear another thing that says thoughts and prayers, I will be even more disgusted.’
The identity of a hero father who followed the gunman into the school and shot him dead has not yet been shared.
Families are seen at a reunification center after Thursday’s shooting
One onlooker was sitting in his red Toyota Tacoma idling outside the school when he spotted the teen approaching the Silver Rail building with his gun.
Concerned by what he saw, the driver confronted the teen who returned a series of shots at the vehicle. A second good Samaritan then confronted the shooter inside the school and killed him.
A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press the teen used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother.
Photos shared online showed the Toyota with three bullet holes lining the bottom of the passenger-side door and another two near the front of the door. Two more bullet holes chipped off the paint on the base of the truck’s bed.
The rear passenger-side window was also apparently left completely shattered, with no glass visible.
After opening fire on the truck, the assailant allegedly threw his gun over the school fence and hopped over – prompting the driver to call Deschutes County dispatchers at around 12.59pm.
As Bend police officers then raced to the scene, the gunman shot at the school’s locked doors. It is unclear how far into the building he got before being killed.
