Teacher wounded in Bend school shooting says she pretended to be dead after being shot

A teacher who was critically wounded in last week's shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, said in a statement released Wednesday that she was shot before she could act and then lay still so the gunman would not fire at her again, ABC7 News Bay Area and other ABC stations reported.

The teacher, Becky Drury, 54, said she went to check on what was happening, saw the shooter and returned to her classroom. She said she was trying to close the door when he arrived and shot her at close range. According to the statement, her left hand was nearly severed and her right arm was badly hurt.

"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, as reported by ABC7 News Bay Area.

Drury said she wanted her actions described accurately and pointed to what she called conflicting reports. She did not identify which accounts she meant. ABC stations noted that some outlets had reported she shielded a student with her body. "The truth is I was shot before I had any chance to act," she said, according to ABC11.

According to police accounts cited by the ABC stations, the shooting took place Thursday in a special needs classroom. Police said the teenage gunman first fired at a truck outside the school and then shot through locked doors to enter the building.

Bend police said three boys, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher died at the scene. Police said another student was also wounded, in addition to Drury.

Police said the suspected shooter was 16 years old and carried a 12-gauge shotgun. He was shot and killed by the father of two Silver Rail students, according to police. Police said the father had seen the shots fired at the truck and followed the teen into the school.

Police also said a different teacher, who was not hurt, threw her cellphone at the gunman after he entered the classroom. She then tackled him to the floor and tried to take the weapon from him, police said.

In a Wednesday update, Bend police said investigators had served search warrants on the suspect's home, his electronic devices and his social media accounts. Police said the gun was bought legally but did not release further details about it. The investigation is ongoing.

Schools in the district reopened Wednesday for the first time since the shooting. Bend police said dozens of officers were present at each school as students returned. The department said residents should expect more officers around schools in the coming weeks to help students and staff feel more at ease.

Compiled by True News from reporting by ABC7 News Bay Area, ABC11, 6abc Action News and ABC7 Los Angeles. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/342