Teacher injured in Oregon school attack says she had no chance to protect children
A teacher wounded in last week's attack on a special education classroom at an Oregon elementary school never had a chance to try to shelter any of the children inside, she said Wednesday in a statement issued by a family friend.
Becky Drury said she ran to see what was going on but immediately saw the shooter and rushed back to the classroom.
“I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there,” Drury said. “Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground.”
Her left hand was nearly severed by a gunshot, and her right arm was struck as well. Unable to get up or defend herself or others, she said, “I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again.”
Three children — ages 5, 8 and 11 — and a teacher were killed at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, last Thursday when a former student there, 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, blasted his way through locked doors with a shotgun and attacked the classroom. Another student was critically injured.
The pump-action shotgun used in the attack was purchased legally, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said in an update to the city council Wednesday. But he didn't say who bought it and added that investigators are still piecing together how it ended up in the shooter's hands.
The Associated Press previously reported it had been purchased by the shooter's mother, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to discuss the investigation.
Authorities said another teacher threw her phone at the attacker and then tackled him and wrestled with him for control of the weapon, likely saving lives before the shooter was shot by a father who followed him into the building.
Some news reports had suggested that Drury threw herself on top of one student to protect her. Drury, who remains hospitalized, said she wanted to correct the record.
“Accurate, respectful reporting is a truly important service that will help heal the wounds inflicted by that awful day,” she said.
The district closed schools after the shooting but reopened them Wednesday everywhere but Silver Rail. Dozens of officers were at each school to welcome children, the Bend Police Department said.
“We do have some families that are still not ready yet, and we most certainly have some Silver Rail families that are still going through a lot of processes,” said Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook.
In a social media post, the police department said its investigation includes serving search warrants at the attacker's home, as well as on his electronic devices and social media accounts.
__
Associated Press journalist Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
