Oregon governor Tina Kotek reacts to Silver Rail Elementary school shooting
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NPR's Joel Rose talks with Oregon Governor Tina Kotek about the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon.
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Just days after the attack on Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend Oregon, new details are emerging about the heroic efforts of bystanders to stop the shooter and about the victims, three children and a teacher who were killed in the attack.
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MIKE KRANTZ: The 5-year-old boy is identified at the request of his family as Rhoam Summer.
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ROSE: Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz, speaking at a press conference yesterday.
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KRANTZ: The teacher who was killed and has been identified is 25-year-old Megan Lambert of Bend.
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ROSE: A police spokesperson shared a statement from Lambert's family.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPOKESPERSON: Her goal was to be an educator and teach in the school district she loved growing up in. She loved Silver Rail. This was her dream job. Megan was compassionate and had a huge heart. She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs. She was an incredible sister, daughter, niece and granddaughter.
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ROSE: And we've learned more about the brave actions of bystanders that day. Again, Police Chief Krantz.
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KRANTZ: A teacher in the classroom threw her cell phone at the suspect and then tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him. She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed.
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ROSE: The attacker was followed into the school by a father of two students at Silver Rail.
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KRANTZ: He then went to the classroom where the struggle was underway and fired his weapon, striking the suspect multiple times.
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ROSE: Through it all, community members in Bend have been gathering to mourn and to remember the lives of those lost.
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UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) Now I'm found (ph).
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ROSE: Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter Holly Bartholomew was at a vigil last night and talked with Matthew McCarthy, whose mother works at Silver Rail.
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MATTHEW MCCARTHY: No one really expected it to happen here, but, like, at the same time, it was, like, you know, you always go to it with that thought, like, every morning. Like, my mom works at Silver Rail. She had that thought every day.
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ROSE: I want to bring in Oregon governor Tina Kotek now, a Democrat. Welcome to the program, Governor.
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ROSE: First of all, are there any updates you can provide about the investigation into this shooting?
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KOTEK: Not at the moment. The press conference yesterday was pretty extensive, and it's an ongoing investigation. And I really appreciate all the outpouring nationally of just well wishes and condolences coming from across the country and people just wanting to know how they can help. And we're still in that, you know, first 48 hours of just trying to understand it. And it's going to be a couple more days before we know all the details.
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ROSE: Are there any details you've learned about the other victims which might help us understand, you know, a little bit more about who they were?
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KOTEK: Not yet. Everyone is appropriately trying to respect their privacy. There hasn't been the announcements other than the ones you just spoke about. I did have a chance to talk to the mother of Megan Lambert, and obviously, they are heartbroken. Megan was an amazing teacher and volleyball coach loved in the community. And, you know, we have to remember that these events have so much ripple effect across the community, people knowing someone who knows someone or knowing them in all kinds of different contexts. This is such a big shock and pain in the community right now, and people are holding each other up and still just trying to make sense of it, if you even can.
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ROSE: Is there any more information you can give us about the shooter's motives? I know that's a question a lot of people are still asking.
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KOTEK: I think that's what you see in these situations. People want to know why. We don't have that kind of information. Remember, this was also a child. The shooter was 16 years old. And it's just - you know, we see these patterns, and people want to know what the situation is. It'll be days before we have more information about the background there.
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What I'm focused on right now is making sure the school district has what it needs, that the community has what it needs. This is a disaster, I mean, in the most fundamental sense of the word. And so everyone is trying to make sure there are mental health resources, that the immediate needs of some of the people who have been injured are being met.
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And this - here's what I know. I hear from other governors, you know, to be a governor, to get this phone call, it's the worst thing you want to have happen. But the outreach from both Republican and Democratic governors alike who have experienced these types of mass shooting incidents in their states, you know, offering advice - this is going to take time, and the thing is we just need to stick with the community who will have a long process of healing from this.
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ROSE: Governor Kotek, do you know how the shooter, who was 16 years old, got access to the firearm and ammunition?
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KOTEK: I do not have that information. We have - you know, we believe adults should be responsible. We don't know how the gun ended up with the 16-year-old. And - but it's a question everyone is asking.
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ROSE: Some outlets are saying that the gun was registered to the mother. Can you confirm that?
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KOTEK: I have seen that. I can't confirm that. I am letting law enforcement do their job and getting updates as they have them, but this - you know, it's an ongoing investigation, so I can't speak to that.
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ROSE: Oregon gun law does have some exceptions that allow minors to possess long guns if their gun is given to the minor by a parent or a guardian, for example, or with their consent. Do you plan to revisit that in the aftermath of this shooting?
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KOTEK: Well, I - you know, as governor, I've been a strong proponent of our gun violence prevention policies, and we've had success here in the state doing evidence-based, reasonable approaches to help people be safe with their firearms. Our law does say that if you are under 18 and have access to that gun, that's because your parent or guardian have given you that permission to have that gun. I think there'll be a lot of questions about that going forward. And I don't - to be honest, it's just too soon to jump into those conversations, but I know that people are going to want to have them.
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ROSE: One of the most remarkable things about this tragedy is that a community member with a gun was able to intervene and to kill the shooter. I wonder, has that changed anything about your thinking around gun laws?
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KOTEK: Well, I have - you know, you have to do - you have to praise the adults who jumped in. The individual who came into the school after witnessing the 16-year-old coming into the school, the teachers in the classroom fighting to protect the children - it is - and that's - it is both heroic, and you have to say, we shouldn't have to have that. And so, you know, when you have a gun involved, people are going to get hurt. And I know that, you know, the way people have responded in such quick thinking is why there wasn't more death or injury in this situation.
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And I want to, you know, praise the Bend-La Pine School District. They have - they've done the things they've needed to do. They had security locks on their doors. They, you know, have been training for these things. You hate to say, we have to train for them, but they were ready in - when it happened to keep as many kids safe as possible. I just want us to get to a place in this country where we don't have to be doing those trainings and those protocols. We just shouldn't have this happening in our schools.
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ROSE: You are up for reelection next month, and it is a fairly tight race between you and your Republican counterpart. Should gun control be a key issue, do you think, in this election?
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KOTEK: Oh, I don't think any of us should be politicizing this incident. I mean, this is - our job is the stand up for the community right now. And as you have seen across the country, after these events have happened and people have had a chance to think about it, there will be a discussion, probably next year. But right now, I'm focused on the community and making sure they have what they need.
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ROSE: You know, Silver Rail Elementary had just done a lockdown drill a few weeks ago. The school's doors were locked. Law enforcement was on the scene quickly.
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ROSE: You know, the teacher, the other bystanders who intervened - so this is a prepared school, a swift response. And yet, three children and a teacher still lost their lives. Briefly, is there anything else that you plan to do in Oregon to prevent tragedies like this from occurring?
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KOTEK: Well, no community should experience this, no parent. And we, as the adults, should continue to think about what we can do differently to keep our young people safe. They should be able to go to school, feel safe, be secure. And like I said, there will be plenty of conversation about the laws we do have on the books, things that we could be doing differently. And we need some space before we can get into that. But what I will say is that I've been proud of Oregon. We approached this in a reasonable, rational way, and that's what we will do going forward when the moments right.
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ROSE: Thank you. That is Oregon governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat. Thank you very much for joining me.
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