BEND, Ore. – A special-needs teacher and a student who were injured in a deadly shooting at an Oregon elementary school remained hospitalized Saturday. Their survival offered a measure of hope to a community grieving the loss of four people.
Seven-year-old Saylor Graham, the youngest survivor, is a spirited, determined child with a gentle nature whose story has inspired other children, said Matt Sampson, executive director of Sparrow Clubs, where she was a member. Saylor has a genetic disorder, typically uses a wheelchair and is nonverbal. Yet, Sampson said, “she doesn’t even need words to connect with people.”
“She’s just an amazing spirit who immediately draws people to her, and you feel inspired by Saylor when you meet her,” Sampson said. “And she’s always wearing these iconic glasses, whether they’re pink or red. She’s just such a cutie.”
Becky Drury, 54, is recovering at a Bend hospital after suffering wounds to her arm and hand. She hopes to return home soon, said Zack Hall, a family friend acting as a spokesperson for her family.
Three children — ages 5, 8 and 11 — and a teacher were killed Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. Authorities say a former student, 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, entered a special-needs classroom and opened fire with a shotgun.
One teacher was wrestling John for control of the weapon when the father of two students entered the classroom and shot him to death. The two men were credited with ending the attack and potentially saving many lives.
As police continued investigating the motive, devastated parents, teachers and community members gathered outside the school Saturday. They left flowers, prayed and mourned together.
Savannah Patton, whose children are in first and fourth grade at the school, sat on the grass Saturday across from a memorial of flowers, stuffed animals and balloons. She wiped tears from her eyes as she looked toward the tribute.
Patton told an Associated Press reporter that Megan Lambert, the 25-year-old teacher who was killed, had substituted in her daughter’s classroom the previous year.
Patton said she has struggled to explain the shooting to her daughter, who asked, “Mommy, why would someone want to take a gun and kill us at school?” It was a question, Patton said, that she did not know how to answer.
Physical challenges won’t keep her from “living with joy”
For several years, Saylor worked with students from Bend High School through Sparrow Clubs, a volunteer organization whose mission is to empower “kids to help kids in medical need” through kindness and community service, according to its website.
In a video posted on the Sparrow Clubs website, Saylor introduces herself and says she enjoys watching “Bluey” and spending time with other children, especially her brother. She explains that although she faces physical and cognitive challenges, she communicates through her eyes and a computer tablet.
MORE STORY: Two People Stabbed Inside Large Corn Maze in Dixon, California
“I prove every day that I’m a fighter who doesn’t give up,” she wrote in the video. “Living with CASK-related challenges is full of unknowns, which can be very hard and scary for my whole family,” she said. “But it doesn’t keep me from smiling, laughing and living with joy!”
Some of the high school students who worked with Saylor said supporting her helped restore their faith that humanity still exists in the world.
Saylor was taken to a hospital in Portland after the shooting. A GoFundMe campaign for her family has raised nearly $400,000.
“We will not let her name be forgotten”
Devon Johnson visited the memorial outside the school Saturday morning. Her husband teaches at Bend High School, and she coaches volleyball at High Desert Middle School, giving the couple close ties to many staff members at the elementary school.
“It’s just hard to take in,” Johnson said. “I’m so glad to see that Bend is rallying and wrapping its arms around this community, but it’s going to take a long time to get through this.”
Heidi Wood, director of the Central Oregon Volleyball Club, where Lambert coached, said in a social media post that Lambert was “an amazing coach,” “an amazing teacher” and “an amazing person who would do anything” for her students.
“To the shooter, she would have given you the shirt off her back,” Wood said. “But you didn’t give her a chance.”
Wood said that Lambert wouldn’t take her volleyball coaching pay in her first year so the money could be used for scholarships for players who couldn’t afford to play instead.
“That was her, and that is her,” Wood said. “We will carry on her love, her passion and we will not let her name be forgotten.”
___
Bellisle reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Haven Daley contributed to his report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.