Cassidy Schutz broke her silence Friday, nearly two weeks after she threw her cellphone at a teenage gunman and wrestled him for his shotgun inside an Oregon elementary school.
The certified learning specialist, whose split-second decision helped stop the deadliest school shooting in state history, issued her first public statement through the Bend-La Pine School District. Schutz asked for privacy as she heals and navigates what she called an “unimaginable reality.”
“There are no words to describe the depth of sadness I am feeling following the events of October 15th,” Schutz said in the statement. “This is not a story.”
The shooting erupted inside a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, where Schutz worked. Griffin J. John, 16, killed three students and one fellow teacher before Schutz intervened, according to police accounts.
Schutz’s physical confrontation with the gunman came after the first wave of violence had already claimed four lives. She threw her cellphone at John and fought to wrestle away his shotgun, district officials and law enforcement have said.
The teacher’s statement framed the attack in deeply personal terms. “This is a horrific and heartbreaking tragedy, and it is our real lives,” she continued. “My thoughts are with those who were lost, their families, those who were hurt, and those who were there that day. My heart is with you.”
Her account emphasized the speed with which the violence unfolded. “It all happened so fast, and I wish with everything in me that we had more time,” Schutz added. “The pain of this loss I will carry with me forever.”
The October 15 attack made Silver Rail Elementary the site of Oregon’s most lethal school shooting. John opened fire in a classroom serving students with special needs, killing three children and a teacher before Schutz acted. The 16-year-old shooter died at the scene; authorities have not detailed whether he was killed by someone at the school or took his own life.
The district released Schutz’s statement on Friday, marking her first public comments since the massacre. She did not describe her physical injuries, if any, nor did she address reports that an armed parent also confronted the shooter during the attack.
Oregon Public Broadcasting and other outlets have identified that father as a local carpenter who grappled with John and ultimately killed him. That man gave his own interviews this week, telling reporters he was “just a carpenter from Bend” and describing persistent nightmares from the encounter.
Schutz’s statement steered clear of any mention of her own heroism, focusing instead on grief for the victims and survivors. Her words offered no timeline for returning to work or whether she would remain in education.
The Bend-La Pine School District has not announced when Silver Rail Elementary will fully reopen for regular classes.