Oregon school shooter identified, used shotgun bought by mother, sources say

Updated on: October 16, 2026 / 8:32 PM EDT / CBS News

The 16-year-old gunman who shot and killed three children and one 25-year-old teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday has been identified as Griffin J. John II, Bend's police chief announced in a news conference Friday.

Authorities said he was shot and killed by a bystander at the school. The suspect was a former student of Silver Rail Elementary, police said.

The attacker used a shotgun purchased by his mother, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said Friday that a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun was located near the suspect, as well as a backpack. Krantz said that three types of ammunition were used in the shooting: birdshot, buckshot and slugs.

The suspect fired as many as 15 rounds during the shooting, Krantz said Friday, and another 44 remaining rounds of ammunition were located at the scene.

A motive for the attack has not been provided. Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said in Friday's news conference that the classroom where the shooting occurred was a special needs classroom, and he disclosed that the suspect had been a special…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/