BEND, Ore. — The Oregon school district mourning the deaths of three children and a teacher in this week’s mass shooting shared a message of deep sorrow Saturday, while honoring the educator and staff member who put themselves in danger to protect students.
“Our hearts are broken,” Bend-La Pine Schools said in a social media statement. “They responded to an attack on their school in a way for which we are forever grateful.”
Megan Lambert, 25, a special education teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, was among those killed.
Lambert had joined the district only this fall, beginning her first job as a teacher.
Becky Drury, left, an inclusion educational assistant, was injured when a gunman opened fire inside the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., earlier in the week. Megan Lambert, right, a special education teacher, was killed in the attack. On Saturday, the district praised both for their response to the deadly shooting that took the lives of Lambert and three children. (Bend-La Pines Schools)
The district described Lambert as a bright light to her “students, family, and our community,” adding that “she will be missed beyond words can express.”
Officials also recognized Becky Drury, an inclusion educational assistant who was wounded in the attack and remains on the road to recovery.
“We continue to wrap our arms around Becky Drury,” the district said. “In addition, a learning specialist responded with extraordinary courage and engaged directly with the shooter. We are so thankful for her safety and forever in her debt.”
Rhoam Summer, 5, was one of three children shot and killed at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., Thursday. (AP; Bend Police Department)
The shooting has left Bend, a community about 170 miles south of Portland, reeling.
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Residents gathered near Silver Rail Elementary on Saturday to remember Lambert and the three children killed in the attack. They included 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, as well as two children, ages 8 and 11, whose families asked that their names remain private.
Police said a 7-year-old girl and Drury were also injured and are recovering.
Outside the school, a growing sidewalk memorial has filled with flowers, prayers and chalk messages offering comfort and support.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, a father of two daughters at Silver Rail Elementary School, had been praised as a hero for killing the gunman who killed three children and a teacher in the attack. (AP; Kevin Perkins for News Media)
Authorities and residents have also praised Kaylub Giamanco, 36, the father of two Silver Rail students, for intervening during the shooting.
Giamanco was on his lunch break when he saw the teenage gunman enter the school carrying a shotgun. He retrieved a legally secured .40-caliber pistol from his vehicle, followed the shooter inside and fatally shot him.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz commended the swift actions of civilians and school employees. He also highlighted an unnamed teacher who confronted the gunman by throwing a cellphone and tackling him.
A person places flowers at a makeshift memorial on the other side of Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Friday, a day after a deadly shooting. (Haven Daley/AP Photo)
“The teacher… was willing to stand and fight for her children,” Krantz said Friday. “I think we all recognize that that is true heroism. She almost certainly helped avoid more bloodshed.”