Oregon school shooting survivor teacher: "Shot before I could act"

Teacher Becky Drury, wounded in the Silver Rail Elementary shooting, says the gunman shot her before she had any chance to react. Three children and a teacher were killed in the 15 October attack.

Wounded Oregon teacher breaks silence: "I fell to the ground before I could do anything"

Becky Drury, the 54-year-old teacher injured in last week's shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon, has released a written statement describing the moment she was shot — before she had any opportunity to intervene. CBS News reports that Drury published the statement on Wednesday, saying she wanted to ensure "the events of that day and my actions in particular are reported accurately."

Drury said she had run into the hallway to investigate what was happening outside her classroom when she encountered the gunman directly.

"I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there," she wrote. "Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground."

She described the severity of her injuries in the moments that followed. "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," Drury wrote. "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 sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The 15 October shooting killed three children — aged 5, 8 and 11 — and a 25-year-old teacher. A 7-year-old student was also seriously wounded.

The suspect has been identified as Griffin J. John II, 16, a former student at the school. Police say he shot through the school's locked doors before entering a special needs classroom and opening fire. He was tackled by another teacher and subsequently fatally shot by an armed bystander, 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco, who had followed him inside the building.

Drury addressed reports that had circulated about her conduct during the attack, saying her statement was intended to correct what she described as contradictory coverage. "The truth is I was shot before I had any chance to act," she wrote.

She closed by expressing solidarity with those affected. "What happened in that classroom was unimaginable, and like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy."

Source: Google News MT