Silver Rail teacher who fought gunman breaks silence: 'This is not a story'

Two weeks after throwing her cellphone at a gunman and wrestling him for his shotgun inside a Bend elementary school, Cassidy Schutz has spoken — and her first words are a plea to be seen as a person, not a headline.

This is not a story. This is a horrific and heartbreaking tragedy, and it is our real lives.— Cassidy Schutz, certified learning specialist, Silver Rail Elementary

Schutz released the statement Friday through Bend-La Pine Schools — her first public remarks since the October 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary that killed three students and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. In it, she expressed grief for the victims, described the speed and permanence of the trauma, and said she would not be making further public statements.

Police Chief Mike Krantz had previously described Schutz's actions as heroic, recounting how she threw her cellphone at the shooter, tackled him, and fought to strip away his 12-gauge shotgun inside a special education classroom near the school's entrance. Schutz was not wounded. That struggle, according to 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco — a father of two Silver Rail students who had followed the gunman into the building with a legally stored handgun — gave him the opening to fire without risking his own life.

I would love to give her a hug because that's a real true hero.— Kaylub Giamanco, parent who fatally shot the gunman

In an October 23 interview with OPB, Giamanco said he still did not know Schutz's name at that point, but added that he believed her intervention may have prevented him from facing the gunman directly, which could have endangered more people. The Bend Bulletin reported that Giamanco, upon entering the classroom, saw a teacher wrestling with the shooter, and that Schutz fled the room after Giamanco opened fire — apparently mistaking him for a second gunman.

The gunman, identified by authorities as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former Silver Rail student, fired as many as 15 rounds and had approximately 44 additional shotgun shells with him. The shooting started just before 1 p.m., and officers reached the scene at roughly 1:02 p.m. — about three minutes after the first emergency call came in, by which time Giamanco had already shot and killed the teenager.

The dead include Lambert and three students ages 5, 8, and 11. The youngest victim was identified by his family as Rhoam Summer. Teaching assistant Becky Drury, 54, was seriously wounded and is now recovering from her fourth surgery to reconstruct her arm, according to OPB. Her husband Will wrote on her GoFundMe page this week that he hopes it will be her last surgery. A 7-year-old student, identified by the Bend Bulletin as Saylor Graham, was moved out of intensive care on October 26, according to her family.

My thoughts are with those who were lost, their families, those who were hurt, and those who were there that day. My heart is with you.— Cassidy Schutz, certified learning specialist, Silver Rail Elementary

It all happened so fast, and I wish with everything in me that we had more time. The pain of this loss I will carry with me forever.— Cassidy Schutz, certified learning specialist, Silver Rail Elementary

Schutz closed by asking for time and space to heal, saying her focus is on the families, the school team, and her own recovery. The statement was her first and, for now, her last.

As I continue to navigate this, I ask that you please give me the time, space, and privacy I need to heal. I will not be making any additional public statements at this time.— Cassidy Schutz, certified learning specialist, Silver Rail Elementary

A memorial service for Megan Lambert drew hundreds of attendees earlier this week, OPB reported. Silver Rail itself remains closed at least through November 6 while repairs continue; the district said 86 percent of surveyed parents, guardians, and staff supported eventually returning students to the building, though no reopening date has been announced. On October 21, students at other schools in the Bend-La Pine district went back to class, with extra police officers posted at campuses. Donations to support victims have topped $2 million, according to the Bend Bulletin.

According to the Bend Bulletin, Schutz — a certified learning specialist at Silver Rail — was brought on in June as the incoming girls basketball coach at Summit High School and had previously worked as an assistant coach for the Mountain View High School girls basketball team. A native of Northern California, she grew up there, attended Ukiah High School, and went on to play college basketball at Linfield University, where she served as team captain during her senior year.

Why it matters — Schutz's statement is the first account from the woman at the center of the Silver Rail shooting response, and her words — grief-stricken rather than triumphant — shape how a community still deciding whether to return to that building understands what happened there.

Reported by opb.org, newsweek.com, bendbulletin.com