The community in Bend, Oregon, is awaiting answers Oct. 17, two days after a teen gunman blasted his way into a school and killed four people, including three children, inside a special education classroom.
Officials said the shooter had ties to Silver Rail Elementary School but haven't yet revealed a potential motive for the slayings.
Boys ages 5, 8 and 11 were killed, along with a 25-year-old teacher. Two of the victims who died were identified on Oct. 16 as Rhoam Summer, 5, and Megan Lambert, 25, described by her family as a "compassionate" woman working her dream job. Another teacher and a 7-year-old girl were hospitalized with injuries.
The shooting, the latest mass killing in the United States, unfolded just before 1 p.m. local time on Oct.
15. Authorities said the shooter jumped over the school's fence and fired at a passing vehicle before he shot through entry doors and made his way into the classroom. There, he fired as many as 15 rounds. A third teacher who survived uninjured tried wrestling his gun away until a bystander with a gun shot and killed the suspect.
"To the people who showed courage in the face of such violence and intervened to prevent this tragedy from being any worse, we owe you a debt of gratitude," Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.
Authorities identified the shooter as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, who had previously attended Silver Rail as a special education student.
Here is what we know about the shooting and investigation so far:
What happened in the Bend, Oregon, shooting?
At about 12:58 p.m. local time on Oct. 15, two vehicles were driving near the Silver Rail school at the same time the suspect threw his gun over the fence and jumped over, Krantz said. The driver of a red pickup truck "verbally confronted" the suspect, who then began firing at the truck, hitting it at least three times, the police chief said. The pickup truck driver then called 911.
The suspect then made his way to the locked entry doors to the school and fired through the glass to get inside. Once inside, he made his way into the special education classroom right by the doors and fired up to 15 times.
Meanwhile, the driver of the second vehicle, who watched the events outside unfold, parked in the school parking lot, grabbed his gun which had been legally secured and followed the shooter inside, where he saw the teen struggling with a teacher. He shot the suspect multiple times, killing him.
Who were the victims?
Police identified the 5-year-old boy who died as Rhoam Summer and the 25-year-old teacher as Megan Lambert.
Lambert "always fought for the underdog," her family said in a statement shared by police. She was a volleyball coach and grew up in Bend. Lambert's family members said they were thinking of the other victims' families.
"Megan loved those children, and so we will show you love, for her," they said.
The other children who died, both boys, were not identified by police at the request of their families, officials said.
Education assistant Rebecca “Becky” Drury was one of the injured, a family spokesperson told USA TODAY.
Her husband, Will Drury, in a statement provided by friend Zack Hall, asked for privacy and thanked the community for an outpouring of support.
"We live in a truly special community. Right now, our focus is on my wife, Becky, and her recovery, and on supporting our family through an unimaginably difficult time," he said. "Please continue to hold everyone affected by this tragedy in your thoughts.”
Community recognizes heroes who prevented more bloodshed
The bystander who fatally shot the suspect was identified by family to multiple news outlets as Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old father of two students at the school.
“He took care of business, and thank God we had him, otherwise it would have been much worse,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Oct. 16.
The teacher who fought the attacker threw her cellphone at him and then tackled him to try to take his gun, Krantz said.
"She almost certainly prevented more bloodshed," Krantz said.
Both the teacher and the bystander were hailed as heroes.
What we know about teen shooting suspect
John, the shooting suspect, was a former student at Silver Rail Elementary School and was part of the special education program there, according to officials.
Though authorities haven't yet revealed a motive for the killings, the teenager's ties to the school may offer investigators some clues.
"Everyone wants to know why, including us," Krantz said. “We may never get that full answer, but we want it.”
Police have conducted a search at the suspect's home and are conducting interviews, he said.
Police located a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun near the suspect. He had about 44 unspent rounds of ammunition with him, police said.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Natalie Neysa Alund, Aysha Bagchi, Josh Meyer and Will Carless, USA TODAY; the Salem Statesman Journal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A shattered community awaits answers, motive in Bend school shooting
