A teacher wounded in last Thursday’s school shooting in Bend, Oregon, said she tried to close a classroom door before pretending to be dead in hopes the gunman would not shoot her again.
Becky Drury shared her account in a statement released Wednesday, the same day the Bend Police Department said the firearm used in the attack at Silver Rail Elementary was “purchased legally.” The shooting left three children and one teacher dead.
“Here is what I remember: Once I realized something was happening outside, I ran to see what was going on. I then saw the shooter and immediately ran back into the classroom. I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there. Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground,” Drury said.
“Lying on the floor, I saw that my left hand was almost completely severed from the gunshot, and my other arm was also severely injured. I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else,” she said. “So, I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again.”
Becky Drury, a teacher wounded in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Ore., on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Zack Hall/Drury family via AP; Joe Kline/AP)
Drury described the events inside the classroom as “unimaginable” and said her heart was broken for everyone affected. Her thoughts, she added, were with those injured, those who died, their families, the school and the broader Bend community.
The Bend Police Department said Wednesday that detectives remain engaged in a “complex investigation.”
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“They have served search warrants at the shooting suspect’s home, as well as on his electronic devices and his social media accounts on a variety of platforms. That work continues, and it takes time,” the department said in a statement.
Police tape is placed outside Silver Rail Elementary school, where a shooting took place, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 in Bend, Ore. (Joe Kline/AP Photo)
Police said the 16-year-old shooter was “neutralized” by a good Samaritan.
Bend-La Pine Schools began bringing students back to its other schools Wednesday, following the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary.
Flowers and candles are placed at a makeshift memorial at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, a day after a deadly shooting. (Haven Daley/AP Photo)
“Heartfelt artwork and messages of love reminded our students and staff that they are surrounded by a community that cares deeply for them,” the school district said.