Mom who survived school shooting when she was a kid instructs son on what to do after gunman storms Oregon elementary
This is truly heartbreaking
A woman who survived a school shooting as a freshman in California in 2001 found herself coaching her two sons on what to do via text more than two decades after her own traumatic experience. The mother was left fearing for her children’s lives after a gunman entered the elementary school they were attending in Oregon.
The 16-year-old suspect, who was later identified as Griffin J. John II, is believed to have stormed the elementary school in Bend, Oregon, armed with a gun. The suspect shot and killed three children, aged five, eight, and 11, and one teacher. John II was later found dead by police after reportedly being shot by a bystander who was the father of a girl at the school, according to The Guardian.
During the chaos and panic, one child texted his mother to let her know that there was a shooter in the building. The mother, who has only been identified as “Michelle,” had survived her own school shooting experience as a high school freshman 25 years prior. Thankfully, she was able to comfort and tell one of her sons what to do, and both boys survived the tragic incident.
Michelle coached her son on what to do
According to CNN, Michelle received a call from her fifth-grade son via his Apple Watch around 1 p.m. on Thursday. He reportedly said over the call, “Mom, there’s a shooter.”
Screenshots showed text messages from Michelle’s son that were sent after he called. They said, “Shooter at school.” Michelle responded by telling her son, “I love you,” followed by instructions: “don’t call anyone please be as quiet as possible.” Michelle tells her son to text her if possible and reassures him that the police will help. In a later text, Michelle tells her son, “This happened to me too, and I am ok.”
The texts also showed Michelle asking about her other son, who was confirmed to be okay.
Speaking after the traumatic event, Michelle described her disbelief that such a terrifying ordeal should happen to her family again. “I was just in shock. I was like, how can this happen? How can lightning strike twice?” She told CNN.
Michelle claimed she hadn’t shared her one school shooting experience with her children until Thursday, but said that the incident that occurred at Granite Hills High in 2001 had apparently had long-lasting effects on her mental health. It led to her developing panic attacks and feelings of anxiety when dropping her kids off at school.
“Every single time I dropped them off, and I would see them walk in the front doors, I would get a pit in my stomach thinking, ‘I hope I see him again,’” she said. “It’s probably because of the trauma I went through.”
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