BEND, Ore. — The Oregon school district that lost three young students and a teacher in a mass shooting this week expressed profound grief on Saturday, praising the courage of the educator and staff member who risked their lives during the attack.
“Our hearts are broken,” the Bend-La Pine Schools district said in a social media post. “They responded to an attack on their school in a way for which we are forever grateful.”
Among the victims was Megan Lambert, 25, a special education teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend.
Lambert had just joined the district this fall for her first teaching job.
The district remembered her as a bright light for her “students, family, and our community,” adding, “She will be missed beyond words can express.”
The district also praised Becky Drury, an inclusion educational assistant who was injured during the attack and is currently recovering.
“We continue to wrap our arms around Becky Drury,” the post stated. “In addition, a learning specialist responded with extraordinary courage and engaged directly with the shooter. We are so thankful for her safety and forever in her debt.”
The tragic shooting has devastated the community of Bend, located about 170 miles south of Portland.
On Saturday, residents gathered near the school to mourn Lambert and the three young victims: 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, along with two other children, ages 8 and 11, whose families requested their names not be publicly disclosed.
A 7-year-old girl and Drury both sustained injuries and are recovering, according to police.
At a growing sidewalk memorial outside Silver Rail Elementary, mourners have left flowers, offered prayers, and wrote messages of support in chalk.
Community members and authorities have also commended Kaylub Giamanco, 36, a father of two Silver Rail students, who intervened during the attack.
Giamanco was on his lunch break when he saw the teenage gunman entering the building with a shotgun. He retrieved a legally secured .40-caliber pistol from his car, pursued the shooter into the school, and fatally shot him.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz praised the rapid response of both citizens and staff, while highlighting an unnamed teacher who confronted the gunman directly by throwing a cellphone and tackling him.
“The teacher… was willing to stand and fight for her children,” Krantz said Friday. “I think we all recognize that that is true heroism. She almost certainly helped avoid more bloodshed.”