A teacher wounded in last week’s attack on a special education classroom at an Oregon elementary school says she was shot before she could act to protect students. Becky Drury, a 54-year-old educator at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, was injured when 16-year-old Griffin J. John II entered the school last Thursday and opened fire, killing three children and another teacher. Drury remains hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after the Oct. 15 shooting.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Drury said she ran to investigate when she realized something was happening but immediately encountered the shooter. “I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there,” she said. “Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground.” Her left hand was nearly severed by the gunshot, and her right arm was also struck. Unable to move or defend herself, Drury said she pretended to be dead to avoid further harm.
Drury clarified that prior reports suggesting she had thrown herself on top of a student to protect them were inaccurate. “I want to make sure the events of that day and my actions in particular are reported accurately,” she said. “The truth is I was shot before I had any chance to act.” She thanked supporters and expressed heartbreak for the victims.
The attack occurred when John II, a former student, forced his way through locked doors with a shotgun and entered a special needs classroom. Authorities said another teacher threw her phone at the gunman and tackled him, wrestling for control of the weapon before the shooter was fatally shot by a 36-year-old armed bystander, Kaylub Giamanco, who followed him into the building. Three children—ages 5, 8, and 11—and a 25-year-old teacher were killed. Another student, age 7, was critically injured.
School reopened in the district Wednesday for the first time since the shooting, with dozens of officers present at each school to welcome children back. Bend Police Department officials confirmed increased security measures were in place.