Teacher reportedly confronted Oregon school gunman
Fox News’ Sarah Alegre reports on new details from the deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon, where a teacher and a student’s father helped stop the attacker.
An Oregon elementary school teacher who confronted a teenage gunman during a deadly shooting earlier this month has spoken publicly for the first time, saying the tragedy is a loss she will carry forever.
Cassidy Schutz, a certified learning specialist at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, issued her first public statement Friday through Bend-La Pine Schools. Her message came just over two weeks after the Oct. 15 attack, which killed three children and teacher Megan Lambert.
“There are no words to describe the depth of sadness I am feeling following the events of October 15th. This is not a story. This is a horrific and heartbreaking tragedy, and it is our real lives,” Schutz said.
Cassidy Schutz, a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., confronted a gunman during the Oct. 15 shooting that killed three students and a teacher. (Bend-La Pine Schools)
“My thoughts are with those who were lost, their families, those who were hurt, and those who were there that day. My heart is with you. It all happened so fast, and I wish with everything in me that we had more time. The pain of this loss I will carry with me forever.”
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz previously said Schutz threw her cellphone at the shooter before wrestling with him for control of his shotgun.
Schutz also requested privacy while she works through the aftermath of the attack.
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Flowers were placed beside a sign at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Oct. 16, one day after the deadly shooting. (Haven Daley/AP Photo)
“There are no words for this unimaginable reality we are facing. My focus is on these families, our team, our school, and my own healing,” she said. “As I continue to navigate this, I ask that you please give me the time, space, and privacy I need to heal. I will not be making any additional public statements at this time.”
Police said the shooting began when a 16-year-old former student entered the school and opened fire in a classroom serving students with special needs.
Lambert, 25, and three students were killed. The children included 5-year-old Rhoam Summer and two others, ages 8 and 11.
Police tape marked the area outside Silver Rail Elementary School after the Oct. 15 shooting in Bend, Ore. (Joe Kline/AP Photo)
Another teacher, Becky Drury, and a 7-year-old girl were wounded but survived.
Drury previously told News Outlet that she tried to shut her classroom door after seeing the gunman, but he shot her before she could keep him from entering.
She sustained serious injuries to both arms and pretended to be dead to avoid being shot again. The attacker was later shot and killed by Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old father.
