Becky Drury, the teacher wounded in an Oregon elementary school shooting, has described being shot at close range before she had any chance to act, saying she pretended to be dead in the hope the gunman would not fire again.
Drury, 54, was outside her classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School when she saw what was happening and ran towards it, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.
“I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there,” she said. “Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground.”
She said the gunshot almost completely severed her left hand and severely injured her other arm. “I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else,” Drury said. “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 in the October 15 attack, which left three children, aged five, eight and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher dead. A seven-year-old child was also seriously wounded.
Police identified the suspect as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former pupil at the school. Officers said he shot through the school’s locked doors before entering a special needs classroom and opening fire.
The gunman was fatally shot by an armed bystander, 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco, who followed him into the school, police said. A motive remains under investigation.
Drury said she had spoken out to ensure that her actions were accurately reported, after what she described as contradictory accounts of the incident.
“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 said.
She added: “What happened in that classroom was unimaginable, and like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy.”
