Shauntai Nickerson is the mom of Griffin J. John II, the 16-year-old boy who perpetrated a mass shooting at an elementary school, targeting a special needs classroom. He was shot and killed by a heroic bystander at the scene.
Focus has turned to Nickerson, Griffin’s mother, as the public seeks answers about why the teen toted a shotgun to Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, police say, and took the lives of three elementary school kids and a teacher. A heroic father who heard the gunshots while driving past the school shot and killed Griffin at the scene. He was identified as Kaylub Giamanco.
Nickerson is accused of buying the pump-action shotgun carried by the shooter, CBS News reported. According to CBS news, “a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun was located near the suspect, as well as a backpack.”
Authorities have not accused the parents of any wrongdoing. Griffin’s father has not been publicly named. The New York Post published a photo of John. Bend police confirmed the shooter’s name in a news conference.
Two of the deceased victims have been identified; they are student Rhoam Summer and teacher Megan Lambert. “To tell you about who Megan was would take 25 years,” a statement from Megan’s family says. “Megan was a native Central Oregonian. She grew up in Bend. She had a passion for playing sports, especially volleyball. She was a volleyball coach. She actually turned down pay for her first season as a coach so families who couldn’t afford to participate could have the chance to play the sport she loved.” You can read about the victims here.
The Gunman’s Mom, Shauntai Nickerson, Told Reporters She Wished She Could Have Prevented the Tragedy
Nickerson was crying and smoking a cigarette when reporters approached her, according to The New York Times.
She called Griffin “a good boy, he really was” and said “I miss him.” She told The Times: “If I could have prevented this, I would have.”
She told CNN of the victims’ parents: “I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something. I’m sorry for their loss.” She told CNN she did not see any warning signs but didn’t comment on how the teen got his hands on a shotgun. The gunman’s parents were both cooperative with police, according to CNN.
According to CNN, Nickerson told police that her son once attended the Silver Trail school. According to CNN, he may have targeted a room for special needs kids, which was for youth with “intensive behavioral and social skills challenges.”
Shauntai Nickerson, Who Works as a Health Aide, Spoke About Her Son in 2020 to a Local Television Station
Nickerson “works as a health aide at a local nursing home,” reported CNN.
Nickerson previously spoke to a local media outlet about her son in 2020. That story referred to her son as Griffin.
“Shauntai Nickerson told NewsChannel 21 her 10-year-old son, Griffin, has struggled learning from home, so going back to the classroom is a welcome change,” the story reported.
“I think it will be great for Griffin, because I am not certified teaching a special needs student,” Nickerson said then. “And I think it will be great for my son to get the help that he needs from the skilled teachers that he needs to get it from.”
The story was focused on a special education program.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told CBS News that a heroic teacher also tried to stop the shooter. The unidentified teacher “threw her cellphone at the suspect and then tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him,” the chief said. She was not physically injured.
At approximately 12:58 p.m. on Thursday, Oct.15, “two vehicles were traveling westbound on Brentwood Avenue near Silver Rail Elementary. At that time, the suspect approached the fenced rear of the school from an undeveloped area near Nina Avenue,” Bend police wrote in a statement. “The suspect crossed the street, threw his weapon over the fence, and climbed the fence onto school property. The driver of a red Toyota pickup truck witnessed this and verbally confronted the suspect. The suspect fired at the pickup, striking it at least three times. After the red pickup was fired upon, the driver continued down the street and made the initial 911 call.”
The driver of a second vehicle, a 36-year-old man whose children attend the school, “also witnessed this initial shooting incident. He drove into the elementary school parking lot. The suspect walked westbound along the south side of the school and forced entry through an external set of double doors,” added police. “He fired multiple rounds into the glass panes in the door to gain access to the school, then went directly into the classroom immediately to the left of the entry doors. He fired as many as 15 rounds in all, though the exact number fired in the classroom is still under investigation. All victims were shot in that classroom.”
Three types of ammunition “were used by the suspect over the course of the incident – 12-gauge birdshot, buckshot and slugs,” wrote police. “The 36-year-old man who parked at the school took out a 40-caliber pistol that was legally secured in his vehicle and entered through the forced-open doors. He saw a teacher involved in a physical altercation with the suspect and fired his weapon, striking the suspect multiple times.”
Shauntai Nickerson, Griffin John’s Mom, Weeps During Interview