Sixteen-year-old Griffin J. John II terrorized a special education classroom at Oregon’s Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday, October 15, when he claimed the lives of three young children using a firearm.
In the aftermath, his mother, Shauntai May Nickerson, was seen crying outside her home and telling reporters, “If I could have prevented this, I would have.”
Now, more information about the teenager’s family background has come to light, revealing a troubling history of violence.
The teenager behind the Oregon tragedy came from a family with a troubled past
Griffin J. John II’s father, Griffin John, was a habitual drinker who beat his mother and threatened her with a knife before the teenager was even born, according to The New York Post.
In an article published on Tuesday, October 20, the outlet reported that Griffin John received a 48-month prison sentence for the offense, while Nickerson was granted a restraining order against him.
However, he was released early, and the restraining order was subsequently lifted after he pleaded with a judge to let him “see his son grow up.”
The New York Post also obtained a letter John wrote to a judge following his arrest for domestic violence.
In it, he had reportedly confessed to having been to jail “several times in the past,” and when he was let out early, he only stayed free for a few years.
He was arrested in 2012 for allegedly headbutting a police officer in Newport and violating his parole by drinking and consuming marijuana, according to court documents.
A bartender in Nickerson’s hometown also accused him of making an inappropriate remark to a teenage girl.
John II used his mother’s shotg*n for the attack, victimizing five-year-old Rhoam Summer, an eight-year-old, an eleven-year-old, and a 25-year-old teacher, Megan Lambert.
The teenager was taken down by Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old armed parent who confronted him inside the school.
Giamanco recounted his actions to his mother during a phone conversation
Giamanco was on his lunch break when he drove past Silver Rail Elementary School and saw the armed teenager enter the building.
He followed the suspect and army-crawled through a classroom window before bringing the attack to an end by fatally firing at him with his legally carried concealed weapon.
Next, he called his mother, Karen Freeman.
“He said, ‘Mom, I just ki**ed somebody.’ And I said, ‘Kaylub, tell me about it,’” the proud mother recalled in an interview with KOVR-TV.
“And he said, ‘A man went into my daughter’s school and sh*t kids.’ And he said, ‘And I looked at him point blank, and I sh*t and ki**ed him, mom,’” she added.
Freeman said she was grateful that her two granddaughters were safe.
She also expressed condolences to the families who lost their children, saying her heart “goes out” to them.
The youngest victim’s parents remembered the Halloween plans their little boy had been looking forward to
Five-year-old Rhoam Summer had been looking forward to pumpkin picking and had already chosen the character he wanted to dress up as for the holiday before his life was cut short, his parents, Kelik and Lillian Summer, revealed through their lawyer on October 20.
He wanted to dress as a bunny, their statement added.
The grieving parents remembered their son as a “kind soul” who “loved to dance and loved to help” others.
“We could not have hoped for a more wonderful child, and everyone in his family, found family and friend circle could not wait to see how he grew,” they said.
Rhoam’s parents also suggested that those wishing to honor his memory draw pictures.
“Sharks, dinosaurs, monsters….Rhoam loved to tell stories of creatures with big teeth who needed understanding and friendship.”
Kelik and Lillian have hired attorneys to investigate school protocols following the tragedy
The law firms Dwyer Williams & Cherkoss, Simon Greenstone & Panatier, and Worthington & Caron announced on Monday, October 19, that they had been retained by Rhoam Summer’s parents to preserve and protect his memory and investigate potential legal claims arising from the incident.
The legal team said its primary objectives were to uncover the truth, determine accountability, and pursue justice.
Among the questions outlined as part of the investigation were whether adequate security protocols were in place at Rail Elementary and properly enforced, what active-shooter procedures the school had established, and whether those protocols were followed on October 15.
The announcement came after Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the district had “invested heavily” in security cameras, door locks, fencing, and other safety measures.
“We practice lockdowns with students and staff twice a year at every school,” he added.
“Rest assured, we will take a hard look at everything that we have done, and what more needs to be done to ensure that our students, our staff, and our families are safe in our schools.”
“Prayers for the poor victims,” a reader wrote
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