Oregon school shooting: wounded teacher says she played dead after being hit
Becky Drury, shot at Silver Rail elementary in Bend, says she was hit before she could act and pretended to be dead, contradicting reports that she shielded a student.
At a glance
- Teacher Becky Drury says she was shot at close range at Silver Rail elementary in Bend, Oregon, before she could act.
- The shooter, 16-year-old former student Griffin J John II, killed teacher Megan Lambert and three children.
- Schools in Bend began reopening this week; police say the shotgun used was purchased legally and the case is under investigation.
A teacher wounded in last week's shooting at a Bend, Oregon, elementary school has described how she was shot at close range before she could intervene, then pretended to be dead in the hope the gunman would not fire again. Becky Drury, 54, released her account in a statement on Wednesday while still being treated in hospital.
Drury said she ran out of her classroom at Silver Rail elementary after realising something was happening outside. On seeing the shooter, she ran back to shut the door behind her, but he was already there and shot her at close range. Her left hand was almost completely severed and her other arm was also badly injured, she said.
"I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else. So, I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again," Drury said.
She said she was aware of contradictory reporting about her actions that day, but that the truth is she was shot before she had any chance to act. Her account conflicts with reports that she threw herself on top of a student to protect her. Drury, who said she wanted the events of that day and her own actions reported accurately, described the violence as unimaginable and said she was heartbroken for everyone affected by the tragedy.
What happened
Griffin J John II, a 16-year-old former student at the school armed with a shotgun, broke in and headed toward a special education classroom. He shot six people. Megan Lambert, a 25-year-old teacher, and three children, including five-year-old Rhoam Summer, were killed. Drury and Saylor Graham, a seven-year-old student, were also shot.
Another teacher threw her phone at John and tackled him before a parent fatally shot the teenager gunman, according to the account in the source report.
Schools reopen
Public schools in the central Oregon city began reopening this week, with dozens of officers welcoming students as they returned to their classes.
The shooting remains under investigation. Bend police said this week that the shotgun used in the incident was purchased legally.
Source: The Guardian.
Questions and answers
- What happened in the Bend, Oregon school shooting?
- A 16-year-old former student entered Silver Rail elementary with a shotgun and shot six people, killing teacher Megan Lambert, 25, and three children. A parent fatally shot the gunman, according to the source report.
- Who is Becky Drury?
- Drury is a 54-year-old teacher who was wounded at Silver Rail elementary. She says she was shot before she could act and pretended to be dead; her left hand was almost completely severed.
- How many people were killed and wounded in the shooting?
- Four people were killed: teacher Megan Lambert and three children, including five-year-old Rhoam Summer. Teacher Becky Drury and seven-year-old student Saylor Graham were wounded.
