In brief
Becky Drury, a 54‑year‑old teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School, was shot by a 16‑year‑old former student during a mass shooting that killed five people. After being struck, she pretended to be dead to avoid a second assault from the gunman, a decision she described as a survival instinct. The attacker, Griffin J John II, ultimately died when a parent and bystander opened fire. Drury sustained serious injuries but remains alive. The incident has reignited debate over school safety and gun violence in the United States.
Some readers may find this article distressing.
Becky Drury, a 54‑year‑old teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School, was shot by a 16‑year‑old former student during a mass shooting that took five lives, including two young children and another teacher. After the gunman fired at her while she was trying to close the classroom door, she fell to the floor and deliberately remained motionless.
"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 told U.S. media. The tactic may have saved her from a second, potentially fatal shot.
The attacker, identified as Griffin J John II, was shot and killed by a parent who took a photograph and then fired his handgun at the gunman. Drury sustained a nearly severed left hand and a severely injured other arm, but her injuries did not prove life‑threatening.
Other teachers did not escape unscathed. A fellow teacher was not injured when she attempted to disarm the gunman by throwing her phone, and a second staff member threw herself on top of a child in an act of protection. Drury clarified that she was shot before she could help any students escape.
Police authorities have yet to disclose a motive for the shooter, who was attending the school as a special‑education needs student. Drury called the events “unimaginable” and expressed deep sorrow for the community’s loss.
The shooting, which occurred on October 15 at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, has intensified discussions about gun laws and school safety across the United States.
