Parents of one of three children killed in last week’s attack filming in a primary school Oregon has hired lawyers to investigate the school’s protocols and how the armed teen obtained his gun.
Rhoam Summer5, was one of three children killed along with a teacher in the attack Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, a mountain-ringed city of about 100,000 in central Oregon. The other two children killed were aged 8 and 11, and one fourth student and another teacher were injured, police said.
Attorneys announced the investigation Saturday, saying it would examine a variety of issues, such as whether the school had an active shooter protocol in place and how the shooter, Griffin J. John II, 16, acquired the 12-gauge shotgun that police say he used and where it was originally purchased.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said Friday the school district has “invested heavily” in security cameras, door locks, fencing and other safety measures.
“We practice lockdown with students and staff twice a year at each school,” Cook said. “Rest assured, we will carefully review everything we have done and what remains to be done to ensure the safety of our students, staff and families in our schools. »
Rhoam’s parents, Kelik and Lillian Summer, initially hired attorneys Friday to handle media interview requests, Tim Williams, a Bend personal injury attorney and co-lead attorney for the parents, said in a telephone interview. The boy’s parents released their own statement remembering their son as strong and kind, with a love of rainbows and unicorns as well as sharks and dinosaurs.
“He was 5 years old,” the statement said. “He wanted to go to the pumpkin patch, learn to ride a horse, learn to play an instrument and be a bunny for Halloween.”
It is interesting to note how the shooter, a juvenile, accessed his gun, Williams said.
Law enforcement official briefed on shooting last week told the Associated Press the shooter’s gun was bought by his mother. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
“We don’t know if the shooter’s mother was qualified to own a firearm. We don’t know whether or not the dealer knew the firearm was being purchased for a minor,” Williams said, adding that there were “various issues that we’re trying to get to the bottom of.”
Under Oregon law, a minor can possess a shotgun if it is provided to them by a parent or someone else with the parent’s consent.
The attacker’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson, did not respond to messages from The Associated Press. Nickerson told reporters outside her apartment near the school Friday that if she could have done something to prevent the shooting, she would have done it.
Police said John entered the school by shooting through locked doors. Authorities said he was not currently enrolled in the Bend-La Pine district, but had previously been a special needs student at the school.
Williams said they were trying to determine whether the school district was “responsible or not.” If it’s responsible, he added, they would try to “work with the school district to come to some sort of conclusion, you know, and a resolution, ideally to prevent this from happening in the future.”
Classes and activities were suspended Monday and Tuesday across the district. No reopening plans have been announced for Silver Rail.
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Kelety reported from Phoenix.
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