Becky Drury, a 54-year-old teacher wounded at Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon, says the gunman shot her before she had any chance to act. She recalled going to check on activity outside her classroom, turning toward the door, and being shot at close range. With severe injuries to both arms, she said she could not get up or protect anyone and pretended to be dead. The Oct. 15 shooting killed three children and a 25-year-old teacher and seriously wounded a seven-year-old student. Drury said she spoke out to correct contradictory reporting; the account announces no policy change, compliance requirements, or upcoming deadlines.
TLDR: Drury says she was shot before she could respond at the Oregon elementary school, then pretended to be dead while seriously injured. The account reports the deaths of three children and a teacher, but specifies no policy changes, deadlines, or compliance measures.
Becky Drury, a 54-year-old teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon, says she was shot before she had any chance to act during the attack on the school last week. In a statement released Wednesday, she described what happened after she went to see what was taking place outside her classroom. Her account clarifies that she was already wounded when she tried to respond to the gunman.
There is no policy change or official policy rationale described in the account. Drury said she spoke publicly to ensure that the events of the day, and her actions in particular, were reported accurately. She also referred to contradictory reporting about what she did during the shooting.
Drury said she ran from her classroom to see what was happening outside. She spotted the shooter and turned to shut the door behind her, but he was already there. Before she could do anything more, she said, he shot her at close range and she fell to the floor.
The teacher described severe injuries to both arms. Her left hand was almost completely severed by the gunshot, she said, and her other arm was also badly injured. She said she could not stand, defend herself, or protect anyone else.
With those injuries, Drury said, she pretended to be dead in the hope that the gunman would not shoot her again. Her account presents that decision as the only action available to her after she had been shot. She said she had no chance to act before the attack left her unable to move or help others.
The shooting occurred on Oct. 15 and killed three children, ages five, eight, and eleven, as well as a 25-year-old teacher. A seven-year-old student was also seriously wounded. Drury suffered serious injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the account.
Police identified the suspect as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former student at the school. Police said he shot through the school’s locked doors, entered a special needs classroom, and opened fire. The account provides no further details about how he entered the building or what led to the attack.
Police said another teacher tackled the gunman. An armed bystander, 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco, followed the gunman into the school and fatally shot him, according to police. The account does not describe further details about the sequence of those actions.
Drury said her statement was intended to address accounts that had presented her actions differently. She emphasized that the gunman shot her before she had any chance to act. Her clarification is specific: she described going to check on what was happening, encountering the shooter at her door, and being wounded before she could do more.
That distinction matters to the factual account of the shooting. Drury did not describe being able to intervene or protect others after the gunfire began. Instead, she said her injuries left her unable to get up, and she chose to remain still in hopes of surviving. The account does not provide other versions of her actions or identify who had reported them differently.
In the statement, Drury also thanked people who had supported her since the shooting. She described the events in the classroom as unimaginable and said her heart was broken for everyone affected. Her comments addressed the community’s grief as well as the need for an accurate account of her own actions.
The practical impacts described are the deaths of three children and a teacher, serious injuries to Drury and a seven-year-old student, and the fatal shooting of the suspect. The report gives no costs, forms, compliance rules, enforcement changes, or deadlines. It also does not announce a new school-security policy or identify steps for school staff and families to take.
Drury’s statement corrects the record on one central point: she says she was shot before she could act, then pretended to be dead while seriously injured. Police information in the account describes the suspect’s entry and the intervention by a teacher and an armed bystander. No future deadline or oversight process is specified, so none can be treated as a next step in this account.
Ryan Mitchell serves as a Staff Writer for Just Right News, where he anchors the desk for Cyber, Technology Policy, and Digital Sovereignty. In an era where the digital landscape has become as much a battlefield as any physical territory, Ryan provides a critical conservative lens on the forces shaping the future of American innovation and national security. His work is defined by a commitment to the idea that American leadership in the digital age is not just a matter of economic success, but a necessity for the preservation of global liberty.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Ryan’s perspective is deeply rooted in the Lone Star State’s tradition of independence and skepticism of centralized authority. Growing up in a city that transformed from a quiet state capital into a global technology hub, he witnessed firsthand the disruptive power of the tech industry. This upbringing instilled in him a firm belief in free-market principles and the necessity of protecting individual liberties from both government overreach and corporate overstep. His Texan background serves as a foundational compass, guiding his reporting toward stories that emphasize national resilience and the preservation of constitutional values in an increasingly virtual world.
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His beat—Cyber, Technology Policy, and Digital Sovereignty—covers the high-stakes world of data privacy, artificial intelligence, and the infrastructure of the modern web. Ryan is particularly focused on the concept of digital sovereignty, arguing that for a nation to remain truly free, it must maintain control over its own technological destiny and critical infrastructure. He frequently explores how international regulations and domestic policies impact the ability of American firms to compete without sacrificing the privacy or security of their citizens.
Central to his current body of work is his featured series, “The New Cold War.” Through this project, Ryan examines the escalating technological rivalry between the United States and its global adversaries. He delves into the complexities of state-sponsored hacking, the global race for semiconductor dominance, and the ideological struggle to define the rules of the internet. Ryan views this competition not merely as a commercial race, but as a fundamental defense of Western values against authoritarian digital models. Through his rigorous reporting and principled analysis, Ryan Mitchell ensures that the readers of Just Right News stay informed about the invisible forces defining the 21st century, always advocating for a future where technology serves the cause of freedom.