Oregon Teacher Who Fought Silver Rail Elementary Gunman Issues First Public Statement

Cassidy Schutz, the Silver Rail Elementary School teacher who fought a gunman in Bend, Oregon, released her first public statement Friday, just over two weeks after the Oct. 15 shooting that killed three children and a teacher. Bend-La Pine Schools issued the statement and identified Schutz as a certified learning specialist who "engaged directly with the assailant," as Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz had earlier described. Krantz previously credited her with throwing her cellphone at the shooter and fighting him for his shotgun. Schutz said there are no words for the depth of her sadness, called the event a tragedy rather than a story, and said it all happened so fast. She said she will carry the pain forever. She said she is focused on the victims, the school community and her own recovery, asked for privacy, and said she does not plan further statements. Teacher Megan Lambert, 25, was among those killed. A 7-year-old student and teacher Becky Drury were wounded. The 16-year-old gunman was fatally shot.

Fox News, the right-leaning outlet, leads with Schutz breaking her silence and says she wrestled the shotgun away, using a headline that stresses an emotional message. It runs her full statement, including the line about how fast it happened, and links to its earlier coverage of a "hero dad" who took down the shooter, framing the event as a teacher and a father acting together. The Washington Post, on the left, headlines her description of how quickly it happened and stresses her sadness, with an excerpt that focuses on her words. Both mainstream sides rely on the school-district statement and Krantz. Newsweek, the alternative outlet, largely matches them but adds details on the wounded, the picture-day morning and teachers sheltering children.