By John Miller, Andi Babineau, Dalia Faheid, Elise Hammond, Emma Tucker, Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN
(CNN) — Authorities are investigating what led a 16-year-old shooter to force entry into his former elementary school in Bend, Oregon, and fire into a special needs classroom on Thursday, killing three children and a young teacher.
“Everyone wants to know why, including us,” Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a news conference Friday.
The shooter, identified by police as Griffin J. John II, had climbed over the Silver Rail Elementary School campus fence around 1 p.m. before firing at a witness in a pickup truck who verbally confronted him, according to Bend police.
The suspect then forced his way into the school by firing into the glass panes of an external set of double doors, police said. He fired multiple rounds into the special needs classroom that included students of mixed ages. A teacher attempted to disarm the shooter and a 36-year-old parent ultimately fatally shot John with a pistol.
The stream of gunfire left three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher dead. Two others, a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher, sustained critical injuries.
Police are now investigating a potential motive in the shooting, including if there were any mental health concerns or warning signs, according to Krantz.
The shooter’s parents were interviewed on Thursday and were cooperative with investigators, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told CNN. Authorities also searched the shooter’s home Thursday, with investigators recovering computers and other electronic devices, according to the source.
Here’s what we know about the teenage shooter as the investigation into the tragedy plays out:
John used a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun in the attack, Krantz said. The gun had been purchased by his mother, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told CNN earlier Friday.
Three types of ammunition were used by the gunman over the course of the shooting: 12-gauge birdshot, buckshot and slugs, according to Krantz. John had about 44 remaining rounds of ammunition, Krantz said.
In Oregon, a 16-year-old cannot legally purchase a shotgun but may legally possess one if it was transferred or provided by a parent and may lawfully temporarily possess it for hunting, target practice or shooting sports.
The shooter’s mother spoke to CNN off camera from her balcony but would not comment on how her son got access to the weapon. Authorities say that is still under investigation.
“I miss my boy. I’m so sorry,” the woman said as she cried and smoked a cigarette.
And in a message to the families of those killed, she said, “I wish I could have done something. I’m sorry for their loss.”
John’s mother told CNN, “He was a good boy,” and there were no warning signs before the shooting unfolded.
Officials said the shooter previously attended special needs classes at Silver Rail but could not confirm whether he had been a student in that particular classroom.
During the pandemic, his mother spoke with CNN affiliate KTVZ about how she hoped the in-person classes for special needs kids will resume. The program is described as being for kids with “intensive behavioral and social skills challenges.”
The mother, who works as a health aide at a local nursing home, had told KTVZ her then 10-year-old son had struggled learning from home and was looking forward to returning to school in 2020.
“I think it will be great for my son to get the help that he needs from the skilled teachers that he needs to get it from,” she told the station.
CNN has reached out to the program for comment.
Additional warrants have been obtained to retrieve data from the devices, a law enforcement source told CNN. Local investigators and the FBI will work to access John’s devices and determine whether there is a trail that leads to the shooting.
Based on the interviews conducted so far, no clear motive has emerged, according to the source.
Meanwhile, the district will begin an investigation into its emergency response procedures, safety planning and other aspects related to the shooting at the school as soon as they are allowed to by law enforcement, Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said at a news conference Friday.
Krantz warned uncovering information about the shooter and what led to the attack will take time.
“We may never get that full answer, but we want it,” he said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Nick Watt, Eric Levenson and Norma Galeana contributed to this report.
The post What we know about the 16-year-old who opened fire at his former elementary school, killing 4 in a special needs classroom appeared first on KRDO.
