A teacher who was critically injured in a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Oregon last week said she played dead after being shot in her classroom.
The mass shooting unfolded in a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend on Thursday, after police say the teenage gunman shot at a truck outside the building then fired on the locked doors to get inside. A teacher and three students were killed, and another teacher and student were injured, police said.
In a new statement released on her behalf Wednesday detailing her experience, the injured teacher said she ran to see what was going on, then “immediately” went back to her classroom when she saw the shooter.
“I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there,” Becky Drury, 54, said. “Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground.”
Drury said her left hand was “almost completely severed” and her right arm was “severely injured.”
“I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else,” she said. “So, 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 she wanted to share what she remembered from the tragic shooting to “make sure the events of that day and my actions in particular are reported accurately.”
“I know there has been contradictory reporting about my actions that day, but the truth is I was shot before I had any chance to act,” she said.
Drury did not specify what accounts she was referring to, though some outlets have reported that Drury had thrown herself on top of a student during the shooting.
“What happened in that classroom was unimaginable, and like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy,” Drury said. “My thoughts are with those who were hurt, those we lost, their families, our school, and the Bend community. I am truly grateful for the kindness and support we have received as we face the difficult days ahead together.”
Bend police said three boys, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher died at the scene. The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old armed with a twelve-gauge shotgun, was fatally shot by the father of two Silver Rail students who followed the teen inside the school after seeing the shots fired at the truck, police said.
Another teacher threw her cellphone at the shooter after he entered the special needs classroom, police said. The teacher, who was not injured in the shooting, tackled him to the floor and tried to take the gun away from him, police said.
The shooting remains under investigation. In an update Wednesday, Bend police said they have served search warrants on the suspect’s home and on his electronic devices and social media accounts.
Police said they have also confirmed that the firearm used in the shooting was legally purchased and are not releasing further details on the gun at this time.
Schools in the district reopened on Wednesday for the first time since the shooting. Dozens of officers were at each school to welcome students back, Bend police said.
“You’ll likely see an increase in police presence in and around our schools over the coming days and weeks. That’s because we want students and staff to feel as comfortable as they can during a difficult, emotional time,” the Bend Police Department said.
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