Photos of Oregon teen shooter released after deadly Silver Rail Elementary attack
A picture of 16-year-old John J. Griffin II, posted by his mother, shows him before he opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, killing three students and a teacher.
On Sept. 10, Shauntai May Nickerson posted a photo of her 16-year-old son, John J. Griffin II, standing gloomily in front of a waterfall while wearing an oversized hoodie. The picture, shared on Facebook, surfaced just weeks before Griffin carried out a mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. Law-enforcement sources say he fired a Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun that was allegedly purchased by his mother.
The rampage resulted in the deaths of three students, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher, and critically wounded a 7-year-old student, who now uses a wheelchair, and a 54-year-old teacher. Griffin had earlier appeared in a 2020 article about the Bend-La Pine School District’s NEST program, which serves students with intensive behavioral and social-skill needs. The release of the photo adds a disturbing visual element to an already tragic event that has shocked the community.
Why it matters
The images link the shooter to his family and prior school involvement, deepening concerns about gun access and youth mental-health interventions.
How this story developed
- Oct 15 Shooter wounded multiple people at Oregon elementary before being killed by police
- Oct 16 The reported death toll has been updated from initial figures to five, including the shooter.
- Oct 16 Investigators identified the shooter as John Griffin of Bend, Oregon.
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