22.10.2026 18:21
Becky Drury, a 54-year-old teacher who was seriously injured in the elementary school attack in the U.S. state of Oregon that killed 4 people, said she pretended to be dead so the attacker would not shoot her again.
According to BBC News, 54-year-old teacher Becky Drury, who was injured in the armed attack on October 15 at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, spoke for the first time after the attack. Drury said she pretended to be dead on the ground so the attacker would not shoot her again.
In a written statement shared with the US press, Drury said she went to the door of the special education classroom to see what was happening outside, tried to close the door when she saw the attacker, but was shot and fell to the ground. Drury said, "I did the only thing I could; I pretended to be dead in the hope that he would not shoot me again."
The teacher, stating that her injury prevented her from helping the children in the classroom, said, "As I lay on the ground, I saw that my left hand had been almost completely severed by a bullet, and my other arm was also seriously injured. I could not get up or protect myself or anyone else." Drury's injuries are serious but not life-threatening.
The 16-year-old attacker Griffin J. John II, identified as a former student of the school, killed 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, two students aged 8 and 11, and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. A father who followed the attacker into the school and had two children attending the school shot and neutralized the attacker.
Police reported that another teacher, whose name was not disclosed, also tried to disarm the attacker by throwing a cell phone, and that this teacher was not injured. It was announced that the attacker was a student receiving special education at the school; the motive for the attack is not yet known.
There had been reports during the attack that a teacher shielded a student by covering them with her body. Drury, noting that conflicting reports were published about what they did that day, said, "The truth is that I was shot before I had a chance to act." Describing what happened in the classroom as "unbelievable," the teacher said, "Like many people in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected."
Source: BBC