Megan Lambert, Bend, Oregon teacher id as 25-year-old teacher shot dead by 16-year-old Griffin John after teen targeting special education class he used to attend at Silver Rail Elementary using shotgun his mom bought him for 16th birthday.
A teacher shot and killed at the hands of a 16-year-old shooter at a Bend, Oregon school has been identified as 25-year-old woman, Megan Lambert, who ‘had a huge heart,’ according to tributes.
Lambert, a Central Oregonian native who grew up in Bend, was one of four people gunned down by 16-year-old Griffin John inside Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Thursday.
25-year-old Bend, Oregon teacher had dream job
‘To tell you about who Megan was would take 25 years,’ her family said in a statement shared during a Friday press conference.
‘She had a passion for sports, a passion for volleyball. She was a volleyball coach. She turned down extra pay as a coach so that families who couldn’t afford to participate could play the sport,’ the family said.
‘Megan was compassionate and had a huge heart. She always fought for the underdog, especially those with special needs. She was an incredible sister, daughter, niece, and granddaughter. She was funny, opinionated, and lit up the room,’ read the statement shared by the Bend Police Department.
Lambert graduated from Boise State University in May 2023 and Silver Rail was her first teaching job — though she had subbed at the elementary school for many years prior, her family said.
‘She loved Silver Rail. This was her dream job,’ the statement said.
Bystander and fellow teacher who fought teen shooter hailed heroes
Lambert was one of four victims, including three students — ages 5, 8 and 11 — who were shot and killed before a heroic bystander, Kaylub Giamanco, intervened and fatally shot the teen inside a special education classroom.
Also hailed as a hero was an un-identified teacher at the school who had fought with the teen shooter, including wrestling with him to the ground as she sought to save her students’ lives during the unfolding episode.
Teacher Becky Drury and Saylor Graham, a 7-year-old girl who uses a wheelchair, were also shot during the carnage, cops and sources said.
Lambert’s family also said that they ‘know that the bystander is going through a rough time, but we are grateful, and we think that he is a hero.’
Drury, 54, an award-winning educational assistant, was identified by family members as the critically wounded teacher.
‘The kindness and concern shown to our family and everyone affected mean more than we can express,’ Becky’s husband, Will Drury, said in a statement to NBC News and the New York Times.
‘Right now, our focus is on my wife, Becky, and her recovery, and on supporting our family through an unimaginably difficult time,’ the husband said.
The youngest victim killed was identified as 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, a ‘very bright and mischievous’ little boy who just started kindergarten.
Teen shooter bought troubled son shotgun upon boy turning 16
While police have yet to say what motivated the teen shooter, cops stated Griffin previously attending the special needs education class at the school he targeted.
Current reports stated Griffin using a ‘pump action’ shotgun his mom, Shauntai May Nickerson had bought for him during his 16th birthday in August.
Stated the mom in the aftermath of the shooting, ‘he was a good boy, he really was.’
Added the parent, ‘I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something. I’m sorry for their loss,’ referring to the parents of those killed.
‘I miss him,’ Shauntail Nickerson said of her son. ‘If I could have prevented this, I would have.’
Authorities continue to investigate.
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