Bend school shooting victim's parents hire attorneys to probe school plans and gun purchase

The parents of one of three children killed in last week's shooting at an elementary school in Oregon have hired attorneys to investigate the school's protocols and how the teenage gunman got his weapon.

Rhoam Summer, 5, was one of three children killed along with a teacher in the attack Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, a mountain-ringed city of about 100,000 in central Oregon. The other two children killed were ages 8 and 11, and a fourth student and another teacher were wounded, police have said.


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The attorneys announced the investigation Saturday, saying it will probe various issues, such as whether the school had an active shooter protocol in place and how the gunman, 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, acquired the 12-gauge pump-action shotgun police say he used and where it was originally purchased.

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. 

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, acc
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