Teacher saved lives when she tackled gunman during Oregon school shooting, police say

On October 15, 2026, an active shooter report at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon led to a large police response. The Bend Police Department confirmed that officers had arrived at the school after reports of an active shooter, setting up a reunification site for families at Journey Church near Goodwill and Dairy Queen on Highway 97. By October 16, authorities identified the attacker as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, who was previously a special needs student at the school. The incident resulted in four fatalities: three boys aged five, eight, and eleven, along with a 25-year-old female teacher. Additionally, a seven-year-old girl was critically injured but stabilized. A teacher's heroic actions, including throwing her phone and tackling John II, likely saved lives before he was shot dead by the father of one of the students.