The shooter who killed four people at Silver Rail Elementary in Oregon was raised in a tumultuous home environment, according to court documents. Griffin John II's father, also named Griffin John, had a history of alcohol abuse and domestic violence, including threats made against his then-pregnant wife, Shauntai Nickerson.
These incidents led Nickerson to move across the state, away from the elder John, prior to their son's birth. The elder John, who served time for an attack on Nickerson, had been released early from a 48-month sentence. He had reportedly appealed to a judge for permission to see his son grow up.
Griffin John II, 16, reportedly used his mother's shotgun to force his way into a special education classroom at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon. The attack resulted in the deaths of three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and their teacher, Megan Lambert, 25. A 7-year-old student in a wheelchair was critically injured, and another teacher sustained wounds.
The shooter was ultimately killed by an armed parent who confronted him at the school. Reports from the elder John's past indicate multiple arrests, including an alleged incident in 2012 for head-butting a police officer and violating parole by consuming alcohol and marijuana. Details regarding the conviction for that specific case remain unclear.
Family members of both Griffin John II and Shauntai Nickerson have largely declined to comment on the incident. One relative reportedly threatened a reporter with dogs when approached for information. Nickerson offered a brief statement expressing sorrow and stating, "I'm sorry... I miss him." She described her son as "a good boy" but did not disclose how he obtained the shotgun used in the attack, adding, "If I could have prevented this, I would have."