Teacher who survived Oregon school shooting recounts being shot, pretending to be dead to survive
Becky Drury, the 54-year-old teacher wounded in the shooting at an Oregon elementary school last week, is sharing a statement about her experience, saying the gunman shot her before she had “any chance to act.”
In the statement Wednesday, Drury recalled running to see what was happening outside her classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School before spotting the shooter.
“I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there,” Drury wrote. “Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground.”
“Lying on the floor, I saw that my left hand was almost completely severed from the gunshot, and my other arm was also severely injured,” she continued. “I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else. 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 suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries from the Oct. 15 shooting that killed three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher. Another student, a 7-year-old, was also seriously wounded.
The suspect was identified as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former student at the school. Police said he shot through the school’s locked doors before entering a special needs classroom and opening fire.
The gunman was tackled by another teacher and fatally shot by an armed bystander, 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco, who followed him into the school, according to police.
Drury said Wednesday she was sharing what happened to her because “I want 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 wrote.
She thanked those who have supported her since the shooting, and said, “What happened in that classroom was unimaginable, and like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy.”
