Mother Bought 12-Gauge Shotgun Used in Oregon School Attack, as Parental Liability Probe Grows
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Oct 19
Mother Bought 12-Gauge Shotgun Used in Oregon School Attack, as Parental Liability Probe Grows
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Oct 19
Summary
Sources told CBS News the Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun used in last week’s Silver Rail Elementary shooting was legally bought in August 2026 by the gunman’s mother and given to him as a birthday gift.
Police have not identified a motive for the 16-year-old former student, and investigators are reviewing his phone, computer, social media and search history while a criminal inquiry into possible parental liability continues.
Bend police said the attacker first shot at a passing pickup truck, then blasted through the school’s glass doors and entered the first classroom on the left, killing three children ages 5, 8 and 11 and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert.
A bystander, 36-year-old Michael Giamanco, followed the shooter into the school after witnessing the first gunfire and fatally shot him; two others in the classroom — a 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher — were wounded.
Police said nine people were in the classroom at the time and expected to finish collecting evidence Monday before returning the building to the school district.
Will investigators uncover enough evidence to charge the shooter's parents for ignoring glaring behavioral warning signs and unsecured firearms?
What critical security failures allowed an armed teen to breach an elementary school and target a special-needs classroom?
The Silver Rail Elementary School Shooting: October 15, 2026—Incident Report, Legal Fallout, and Security Failures in Bend, Oregon
Overview
On October 15, 2026, Griffin J. John II, a 16-year-old who had unsupervised access to a shotgun legally purchased by his mother, entered Silver Rail Elementary School by throwing the firearm over a fence and shooting through vulnerable glass doors. He opened fire in a special education classroom, killing a teacher and three students, including 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, and wounding others. The attack ended when an armed civilian intervened and shot the gunman. The tragedy exposed weaknesses in school security, raised questions about gun storage laws and parental responsibility, and sparked debates over gun-free zones and civil liability.