Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks during a candlelight vigil at Drake Park after three children and a teacher were killed in a mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Oct. 15, 2026. The suspected shooter was a 16-year-old who entered the school and was killed by an armed bystander, bringing the total number of deaths to five.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Saturday her priority is getting families and the Bend community what they need after a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School killed three students and a teacher.
Speaking on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Kotek said there are still unanswered questions about the shooter’s motives and how he got the weapon. She declined to wade into gun policy, saying that conversation will come later.
On Thursday, a 16-year-old armed with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun opened fire at the school before a parent shot and killed him inside a classroom. Those killed were Rhoam Summer, 5; teacher Megan Lambert, 25; and two students police have not formally identified. Teacher Becky Drury, 54, and Saylor Graham, 7, were seriously injured.
Kotek did not offer new information about the victims, citing their families’ privacy. She said she spoke with Lambert’s mother, who is grieving her daughter.
“Obviously they are heartbroken,” Kotek said. “Megan was an amazing teacher, and volleyball coach, loved in the community.”
Related: Questions about motive remain after Bend school shooting
Reporters have raised questions about whether the gun was purchased by the shooter’s mother. Kotek said she is getting updates from law enforcement but that it will be days before investigators know the full story.
Oregon law allows minors to possess certain firearms if a parent or guardian provides them. Kotek said there will be many questions about those laws but that it’s too soon for those conversations.
“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,” she said.
Related: How parents can talk with their children about the Bend school shooting
Kotek praised the teachers and the armed parent who stopped the gunman, crediting them with saving lives.
“The way people responded with such quick thinking is why there wasn’t more death or injury in this situation,” she said.
Kotek, who is running for reelection against Republican Christine Drazan, was asked whether gun control should be a key issue in the race.
“I don’t think any of us should be politicizing this incident,” she said.
State Sen. and candidate for Oregon governor Christine Drazan speaks with attendees during a candlelight vigil at Drake Park after three children and a teacher were killed in a mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore. on Oct. 15, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
She said that, as in other communities across the country after shootings, a discussion will come once people have had time to reflect, probably next year.
Practicing for an active shooter has become standard in schools across the U.S. Kotek said Bend-La Pine Schools took the necessary steps to keep students safe, including installing security locks on doors and holding lockdown drills a few weeks earlier.
“You hate to say we have to train for them, but they were ready to keep as many kids safe as possible,” she said.
