A teacher remembered as someone who had found her “dream job” and three children from a special needs classroom were among those killed in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Oregon, authorities said.
A second student and another teacher were wounded in Thursday’s attack at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. Police said a suspected 16-year-old shooter forced his way into the building.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said Friday that every person struck by gunfire was inside a special needs classroom.
Authorities identified one of the children who died as 5-year-old Rhoam Summer. An 8-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy were also killed. Their names are being withheld at their families’ request, Krantz said.
The teacher killed in the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting was identified as 25-year-old Megan Lambert. In a statement read by a police official, Lambert’s family said she had been doing the work she always dreamed of.
“Meghan was compassionate and had a huge heart,” the family said. “She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs.”
They remembered her as “an incredible sister, daughter, niece, and granddaughter.”
“Her friends became her family. She was funny and opinionated, and she lit up the room,” the statement continued.
Lambert was raised in Bend, where she played and coached volleyball. She graduated from Boise State University in May 2023, according to her family.
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The two other people injured were a 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher, both of whom were hospitalized in critical condition. By Friday, the child was listed as serious but stable, while the teacher—identified by her family as Becky Drury—was suffering from serious injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.
Drury’s husband said their immediate priority is her recovery as they help their family navigate “an unimaginably difficult time.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers, and well-wishes following yesterday’s tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary,” Will Drury said in a statement. “The kindness and concern shown to our family and everyone affected mean more than we can express. We live in a truly special community.”
He asked the community to continue keeping all those affected by the shooting in their thoughts.
The teenage suspect was fatally shot by a community member, Krantz said. The person reportedly saw the teen fire at a truck outside the school before entering the Silver Rail building.
Krantz also credited another teacher with a “heroic” intervention that may have prevented further loss of life. The teacher tackled the gunman and attempted to wrest away his weapon, but was not hurt, police said.
Investigators have not determined a motive. Officials said the suspect had previously attended the elementary school as a special needs student but was no longer enrolled in the district.
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