Oregon Teacher Becky Drury Disputes Heroism Account in 7-Year-Old's Shooting

Q: What drove a mother to allegedly purchase the shotgun used by her teenage son in this devastating rampage?

There is no confirmed public evidence yet showing what specifically drove the mother to buy the shotgun beyond reports that she legally purchased it for her son around his August birthday, apparently as a gift. Multiple outlets, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the 12-gauge Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun used in the Bend elementary school shooting had been bought by the suspect’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson. Some reports described it as a birthday present. Oregon law allows a minor to possess a shotgun in some circumstances if it is provided by a parent, which helps explain how the purchase could have been legal. What remains unclear is motive on the mother’s part. Investigators have not publicly said she bought the gun because she believed her son was dangerous, nor have they disclosed evidence that she expected it would be used in violence. Reporting indicates she has been cooperative with authorities and later said she was sorry and would have stopped the attack if she could have. The larger investigation is now focused on how the teenager gained access to the gun and ammunition, what his parents knew about any warning signs, whether the firearm was properly secured, and whether any criminal liability could follow. Authorities have also said the shooter’s own motive for the rampage remains under investigation.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 21

Becky Drury said Wednesday she was shot before she could act during last week's attack at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, rejecting accounts that she shielded a 7-year-old student.
Drury, still hospitalized, said she heard a commotion outside the special education classroom and ran into the hall to see what was happening when she was hit.
The correction challenges a widely shared account from a family friend of the injured child, who had said Drury threw herself on the student and saved her life.
The shooting, carried out by a teenager, also produced other early heroism narratives, including reports that a passing father chased the attacker and killed him.