Oregon: Parents Of School Shooting Victim Hire Attorneys

The parents of one of three children killed in last week’s shooting at an elementary school in Oregon have hired attorneys. The aim is to investigate Silver Rail Elementary School‘s protocols and how the gunman, 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, got his weapon. Rhoam Summer, 5, was one of three children who died along with a teacher on Thursday in Bend, Oregon. The other two children who also passed away were ages 8 and 11. A fourth student and another teacher suffered injuries, police have said.

RELATED: Prayers Up! Three Children & One Teacher Reportedly Killed In Oregon Elementary School Shooting (VIDEOS)

Victim’s Parents Hire Attorneys After Shooting

Rhoam’s parents, Kelik and Lillian Summer, initially hired attorneys Friday to handle media interview requests, Tim Williams, a personal injury attorney in Bend and co-lead counsel for the parents, said in a phone interview. The boy’s parents released their own statement remembering their son as strong and kind with a love for rainbows and unicorns along with sharks and dinosaurs.

“He was 5 years old,” the statement said. “He wanted to go to the pumpkin patch, learn to ride horses, learn to play an instrument, and be a bunny for Halloween.”

Of interest is how the shooter, a minor, accessed his weapon, Williams said.
A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting last week told The Associated Press the shooter’s gun was bought by his mother. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

“We don’t know if the shooter’s mother qualified to own a firearm. We don’t know whether or not the dealer was aware that the firearm was being bought for a minor,” Williams said, adding that there are “various issues there we’re trying to suss out.”

Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun. However, a parent provides it, or another adult obtains the parent’s permission to purchase it. The attacker’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson, has not responded to messages from The Associated Press. Nickerson on Friday said that if she could have done something to prevent the shooting, she would have.

Meanwhile, police said John got into the school by shooting through locked doors. Authorities said he was not currently enrolled in the Bend-La Pine district. However, he had once been a special needs student at the school.

Attorneys Launch Investigation After Oregon School Shooting

The attorneys announced the investigation Saturday (Oct. 17), saying it will probe various issues. That includes whether the school had an active shooter protocol in place. Also, how the gunman acquired the 12-gauge pump-action shotgun police say he used in the attack and where it was originally purchased.

Attorney Williams said they are trying to determine whether the school district is “liable or not.” If it is liable, he added, they’d try to “work with the school district to come to some sort of conclusion, you know, and resolution, ideally safeguarding this from happening again in the future.”

School Officials Speak Out About Safety Measures

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said Friday that the school district has “invested heavily” in security cameras, door locks, fencing and other security measures.

“We practice lockdowns with students and staff twice a year at every school,” Cook said. “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.”

Classes and activities were suspended across the district on Monday and Tuesday. No reopening plan has been announced for Silver Rail.