Shooter's mother gave legal shotgun as birthday gift, authorities say
A 16-year-old used a Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun, bought by his mother as a birthday present, to kill three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school; the shooter was killed by a bystander.
Police said a 16-year-old entered Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, and opened fire with a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, killing three students and a teacher and wounding two others. The firearm, purchased legally in August 2026, had been given to the shooter as a birthday gift by his mother, Shauntai Nickerson, according to sources.
The attacker first fired at a passing pickup truck, prompting a 911 call, then shot through the glass doors of the school and entered a classroom where the victims were seated. The children killed were ages 5, 8 and 11; the teacher was identified as 25-year-old Megan Lambert. A 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher were injured.
A bystander, 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco, who had witnessed the initial shooting, pursued the gunman into the school and shot him, ending the attack. Giamanco is a local resident with two daughters attending the school.
Police identified the shooter as a former student of Silver Rail Elementary. No motive has been disclosed. Investigators are reviewing the suspect's digital devices and online activity. The Bend Police Department expects to complete evidence collection at the school by the end of the day and will return the building to the district thereafter.