Mother bought shotgun as birthday gift to teen who killed four at Oregon school
CBS News reported that the 16-year-old shooter’s mother had purchased the Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun used in the attack as a birthday gift. The shooting occurred on 15 October at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, leaving three children and a teacher dead; the gunman was shot dead by an armed civilian. Police identified the shooter as John J. Griffin II, a former student, according to NBC News. The incident prompted a lockdown of the school and the establishment of a reunification point for families, as reported by KATU. Earlier reports said a bystander pursued the shooter into the building and killed him, per BBC.
The victims included three students and a staff member; OregonLive. com identified a 5-year-old child, Rhoam Summer, as the youngest person ever killed in a U. S. school mass shooting. Two other children and a staff member escaped unharmed, according to OregonLive. com.