A teacher who was working her “dream job” and three students in a special needs classroom were among those killed in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Oregon, officials said.
A fourth student and another teacher were injured in Thursday’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. Police said a suspected 16-year-old gunman forced his way into the school and opened fire.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a news conference Friday that every shooting victim was inside a special needs classroom.
Police identified one of the students killed as 5-year-old Rhoam Summer. An 8-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy also died. Their names are being withheld at their families’ request, Krantz said.
The teacher killed in the attack was identified as 25-year-old Megan Lambert. In a statement read by a police official, her family said Lambert had been working her “dream job” at Silver Rail.
“Meghan was compassionate and had a huge heart,” the family said. “She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs.”
Her family remembered her as “an incredible sister, daughter, niece, and granddaughter.”
“Her friends became her family. She was funny and opinionated, and she lit up the room,” the statement said.
Lambert was raised in Bend, where she played and coached volleyball. She graduated from Boise State University in May 2023, according to the family statement.
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The other injured victims were a 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher. Both were hospitalized in critical condition, police said. By Friday, the child was in serious but stable condition, while the teacher—identified by her family as Becky Drury—had serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Drury’s husband said the family’s priority is her recovery as they work to support one another through “an unimaginably difficult time.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers, and well-wishes following yesterday’s tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary,” Will Drury said in a statement. “The kindness and concern shown to our family and everyone affected mean more than we can express. We live in a truly special community.”
“We ask that you continue to hold everyone affected by this tragedy in your thoughts,” he added.
The suspected shooter was fatally shot by a community member who saw the teenager enter Silver Rail Elementary after firing at a truck outside the building, Krantz said.
Krantz also credited another teacher with a “heroic” response that may have saved lives. The teacher tackled the shooter and attempted to wrestle away the gun. Police said the teacher was not injured.
Police said the motive remains under investigation. Officials said the suspect had previously attended the elementary school as a special needs student but was not currently enrolled in the district.
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