Law enforcement releases first photos of Oregon school shooter John J. Griffin II

Law enforcement released the first publicly available photographs of John J. Griffin II, the 16‑year‑old who carried out the mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, on Oct. 16, 2026.

The images, originally posted on Facebook by his mother Shauntai May Nickerson on Sept. 10, depict Griffin staring directly at the camera while wearing an oversized hoodie and standing beside his mother in front of a waterfall.

The release provides a visual reference for investigators and the public as they continue to examine the motives and circumstances of the Oct. 12 shooting that claimed the lives of three students, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher, and left a 7‑year‑old student and a teacher critically injured.

According to multiple outlets, Griffin used a Maverick 88, a 12‑gauge pump‑action shotgun that law‑enforcement sources say was purchased by his mother around his birthday in August.

He was confronted inside the school by Kaylub Giamanco, a 36‑year‑old carpenter and father of two, who fired the fatal shots that stopped the rampage.

“I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something,” Nickerson said of her son, adding that he was “a good boy, he really was.”

Police confirmed that Griffin fired at a pickup truck in the school’s parking lot before breaching the building’s locked doors and entering a special‑education classroom where he had once been a student.

State officials, including Governor Tina Kotek, praised Giamanco’s quick response, noting that his actions likely prevented further loss of life.

Investigators are still reviewing how the teenager obtained the shotgun and whether any parental consent was involved, as Oregon law requires individuals under 18 to have parental permission to possess long guns.

The newly released photos are expected to aid the ongoing investigation and will be circulated among law‑enforcement agencies nationwide.