"He was a good boy": Shauntai Nickerson, mother of 16-year-old shooter John J. Griffin II, spoke after the bloody attack at an Oregon school

Shauntai May Nickerson, mother of the 16-year-old attacker Griffin J. John II, spoke brokenly in tears to reporters in front of her apartment complex in Bend, Oregon, after the mass shooting at Silver Rail elementary school that left three children and a teacher dead. From the porch of her home, Nickerson expressed her condolences to the families of the victims and defended her son's character, although she avoided answering the central questions about how the minor had access to the firearm used in the attack. "I am so sorry, I wish I could have done something. I deeply regret your loss," Nickerson declared to the reporters from The New York Times and CNN. "He was a good boy, truly he was. I miss my son. If I could have prevented this, I would have." Nickerson, who works as a health assistant in a local nursing home, insisted that there were no warning signs or behavioral changes before the shooting on Thursday. However, when reporters asked her how the teenager obtained the shotgun, she dismissed the questions and retreated inside her house. The Weapon: Investigating the Shotgun the Mother Bought Nickerson's brief public statements come at a time when state and federal experts are placing the origin and storage conditions of the weaponry under strict judicial scrutiny. High-ranking police sources confirmed to CBS News and NBC News that the weapon seized at the scene—a Maverick 88 shotgun, 12 gauge—had been legally purchased by Nickerson around her son's 16th birthday, in August 2026. During an official press conference, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz detailed the ballistic evidence seized inside the school building: - Ammunition Arsenal: The suspect fired up to 15 shots during the attack using a combination of birdshot, buckshot, and single-projectile slugs. - Unperforated Cartridges: Law enforcement found another 44 intact cartridges inside a backpack that was left lying next to the shooter's body. - Safe Custody Laws: Detectives from the Bend Police and Oregon State Police are investigating whether the weapon was kept locked according to the safe storage regulations in effect in the state or if it constituted parental negligence by leaving it within reach of a minor. The Target: A special education classroom and prior ties to the school District authorities and police actions confirmed that Griffin J. John II had been a student at Silver Rail and formally attended his special education program. Archival records show that in 2020, Nickerson and her son participated in a local KTVZ news report about the NEST program of the Bend-La Pine School District, a pedagogical device for elementary students with complex behavioral and socialization difficulties. In that report, the woman defended the in-person nature of special education, pointing out that her son needed the support of specialized teachers that she could not guarantee him during the virtual modality due to the pandemic. Shauntai May Nickerson gave an interview on News Channel KTVZ about her son Griffin J John II — Curtis Fernheiser III (@CurtFernheiser) October 16, 2026 the Killer from Bend Oregon who murdered 3 innocent children and a Teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School, back in September 2020 about her son having severe mental health issues. pic.twitter.com/daBr6Hn6gH On Thursday afternoon, John arrived at the school property, threw the Maverick 88 shotgun over the perimeter fence, and jumped into the yard. After shooting a private truck driving down the street, he shot through the glass panels of a double entrance door that was locked and went directly to the special education classroom located immediately to the left. "All the victims were hit inside that same classroom," Chief Krantz specified to explain why the ages of those affected were varied. Victims and Heroic Interventions Inside the Classroom The attack resulted in four deaths within the special education sector: - Fatalities: Rhoam Summer, a 5-year-old who attended kindergarten; two male students aged 8 and 11; and Meghan Lambert, a 25-year-old special education teacher and youth volleyball coach. - Seriously Injured: A 7-year-old girl in a wheelchair who sustained a facial impact remains hospitalized in a stable condition after surgery; meanwhile, teacher Becky Drury, 54, is recovering favorably from gunshot wounds that do not compromise her life. The police chief emphasized that the death toll would have been even more severe had there not been two decisive physical interventions. Before the aggressor exhausted his ammunition, a teacher who was unharmed lunged at him: she threw her cell phone in his face and wrestled in close combat to deflect the shotgun barrel from him. Moments later, Kaylub Giamanco—a 36-year-old carpenter and father of two school students who was returning home for lunch, heard the shots, and entered the property armed with a legally carried .40 caliber pistol—shot him repeatedly and subdued the attacker. FBI forensic experts are continuing to examine the electronic devices seized in Nickerson's home to determine if John left any writings, statements, or digital records that explain the attack on the institution. Clarín Newsletter I received all the news, stories, and analyses from Clarín journalists in your email I WANT TO RECEIVE IT