Teacher Describes Being Shot Before She Could Reach Her Students
A teacher wounded in an attack at an Oregon elementary school says she did not have time to protect the children in her classroom. Becky Drury was hurt when a gunman entered a special education classroom at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend.
She Turned Back Toward the Classroom
Drury said she realized something was wrong and ran to find out what was happening. When she saw the gunman, she rushed back toward the classroom. She tried to close the door, but he was already there.
“Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground,” Drury said.
A bullet nearly severed her left hand and also struck her right arm. She could not stand or fight back. Drury said she chose to lie still and pretend to be dead, hoping the gunman would not shoot her again.
Four People Were Killed
The attack killed three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher. Another student was critically injured.
The gunman, a 16-year-old former student at the school, used a shotgun to break through locked doors and enter the classroom. Another teacher fought back. She threw her phone at him, then tackled him and struggled with him over the weapon.
A father who followed the gunman into the building shot him. The other teacher’s actions may have saved lives, as the struggle took place before the father stopped the attacker.
Drury Corrects What Happened
Some accounts of the attack said Drury had covered a student with her body to shield the child. Still in the hospital, she said that description was not accurate and wanted to set the record straight.
She said clear and respectful accounts of what happened matter and can help people heal after the attack. Her statement focused on what she experienced: she was shot before she could reach the classroom door or help the children.
Students Returned to School
The school district reopened its schools for the first time since the shooting. Officers stood at each school to greet children as they came back.
The investigation continued after the reopening. Police searched the attacker’s home, electronic devices and social media accounts as part of their work to learn more about the attack.
Investigators Examine the Shotgun
The shotgun used in the attack was a pump-action firearm that had been bought legally. Investigators were still trying to determine how the teenager got it.
The facts established so far include the teacher’s injuries, the deaths and injuries in the classroom, the struggle with the attacker, and the father’s role in stopping him. Drury’s account clarifies that she did not have a chance to place herself over a student before she was shot.