Oregon Teacher Pretended to Be Dead to Survive School Shooting

A 54-year-old teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, has shared her account of surviving a mass shooting on October 15, explaining she pretended to be dead after being shot by the assailant. Becky Drury, a special education teacher, stated that as she attempted to close her classroom door upon spotting the gunman, she was shot. "I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again," Drury said in a statement.

Drury sustained severe injuries to her left hand and another arm from the gunshot, leaving her unable to move or defend herself or the students in her classroom. The shooting resulted in the deaths of three students and another teacher. The gunman, identified as 16-year-old Griffin J John II, a former student at the school, was fatally shot by a parent who had entered the school.

Contrary to some earlier reports, Drury clarified that she was shot before she could take any action to protect the children. Another teacher is reported to have attempted to disarm the gunman by throwing her mobile phone, though she was unharmed. The motive behind the attack remains unknown, according to authorities.

Drury described the events as "unimaginable" and expressed her heartbreak for all those affected by the tragedy. The shooting prompted community grief, with makeshift memorials appearing outside the school in the days following the incident.