Oregon school shooter identified as 16-year-old whose mother purchased the gun he used, sources say
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BREAKING NEWS Oct. 16, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC U.S. news U.S. news Oregon school shooter identified as 16-year-old whose mother purchased the gun he used, sources say The teen is accused of killing three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend and critically injuring two others. Listen to this article with a free profile 00:00 00:00 Police identify 16-year-old suspect in deadly Oregon school shooting 06:16 Get more news Live on Share Add NBC News to Google By Tom Winter , Andrew Blankstein , Jonathan Dienst and Shayna Jacobs A teen accused of gunning down three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school on Thursday has been identified as John J. Griffin II, three senior law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation told NBC News.
It was not immediately clear if the 16-year-old alleged gunman had a connection to Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, where officials said an armed bystander fatally shot the teen and interrupted the shooting spree.
Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the teen’s mother purchased the long gun he used around his birthday in August.
Victims included children ages 5, 8 and 11. A 7-year-old and a teacher were critically injured.
A makeshift memorial at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Friday. Haven Daley / AP Police and federal investigators have not publicly identified a motive.
Officials said the gunman shot through a locked door to gain entry into the school around 1 p.m. local time.
“There are simply no words for the loss that we have suffered today,” Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said at a community vigil hours after the tragedy.
Share Add NBC News to Google Tom Winter Tom Winter is NBC’s National Law Enforcement and Intelligence Correspondent.
Andrew Blankstein is an investigative reporter for NBC News. He covers the Western U.S., specializing in crime, courts and homeland security.
Jonathan Dienst Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.
Shayna Jacobs is a national reporter for NBC News digital.
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