Five-year-old Rhoam Summer, the youngest child killed in the October 15, 2026, śh́óóting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, has been remembered by family as a bright, energetic boy who delighted in climbing, running, reading, and caring for his collection of stuffed animals.
His aunt, Swan Sheridan, described him as a “little ball of energy from the moment he was born.” She said Rhoam was an incredibly fast runner and a fearless climber who would scale and jump from almost anything. He was a very happy child who treated every stuffed animal as something that needed to be rescued and cared for. His favorites included sea creatures in rainbow colors, along with sharks, dinosaurs, and other animals he called “misunderstood.”
Rhoam was one of three children killed that afternoon, along with 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. The other two children who died were boys aged 8 and 11; their families asked that their names not be released. A 7-year-old student and another teacher, 54-year-old Becky Drury, were wounded and hospitalized. All of those sH๏τ were in the same special-needs classroom.
The attacker, 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former special-needs student at the school, approached the campus on foot, threw a sH๏τgun over a fence, climbed onto the grounds, and forced entry by śh́óóting through locked doors. He fired approximately 15 rounds inside the classroom and still had 44 additional rounds with him when he was stopped. A teacher in the room threw her phone at him and then physically fought him, actions police said almost certainly prevented further harm. Moments later, Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old father of two students at the school who had been nearby, followed the attacker inside and sH๏τ him, ending the attack.
In the days that followed, community members gathered at memorials outside the school, leaving flowers, balloons, candles, and stuffed animals. Rhoam’s father, Kelik Summer, wrote that it had been the worst day of his life and that the family was broken and lost, yet surrounded by supportive friends and relatives.
As of October 18, Bend-La Pine Schools remain closed through Tuesday, October 20. Silver Rail Elementary is closed until further notice. Students are scheduled to return on October 21 under an early-release schedule. The classroom continues to be treated as an active crime scene while the investigation proceeds.
Rhoam Summer has been described as the youngest person killed in a U.S. school śh́óóting since systematic tracking began in the 1960s. Those who knew him remember a joyful, adventurous little boy whose short life was filled with energy, kindness toward his toys, and a love of movement and stories.
Sources : 1News / ᴀssociated Press
