Family of 5-year-old victim hire lawyers to investigate Bend shooting
Anastasia Mason and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORKTue, October 20, 2026 at 12:26 PM UTC
The family of the 5-year-old boy killed when a teen gunman opened fire on an Oregon special education class last week has hired a legal team to look into how the shooter got a gun and whether safety protocols were followed, reported the Salem Statesman Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Rhoam Summer, 5, was killed Oct. 15 at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, along with two other boys, ages 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher. Another teacher and a 7-year-old girl were injured.
Authorities haven't revealed a motive in the slayings, but said the shooting suspect, who was 16 and also killed at the scene, was a former student at the school who received special education services. While law enforcement investigates the crime, law firms hired by Rhoam's parents said they will investigate "any systemic failures that may have allowed this tragedy to happen."
"We are stunned that such a heinous assault has happened in our peaceful community," Tim Williams, co-counsel on the investigation, said. "Senseless, barbaric, and depraved? Yes. But was it foreseeable and thus preventable? That’s what we will find out. ... We are committed to holding all responsible parties accountable to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again and justice is done in Rhoam’s name."
Three law firms, Dwyer Williams & Cherkoss, Simon Greenstone & Panatier and Worthington & Caron said they will "preserve and protect Rhoam’s memory and investigate possible legal claims arising from the mass school shooting."
5-year-old killed in school shooting 'had the purest heart,' parents say
In a statement, Rhoam's parents described him as a kindhearted little boy who wanted to dress up as a bunny for Halloween, "cuddled at every opportunity and sang to himself when he was upset." He loved dancing, sharing and rainbows and unicorns, they said.
To remember Rhoam, his family requested people draw pictures, particularly of sharks, dinosaurs or monsters.
"Rhoam loved to tell stories of creatures with big teeth who needed understanding and friendship. Please make art for him. Draw or paint. Use your hands if you can. Get messy," his parents said. "Rhoam was not a child art prodigy, but he had the purest heart and he put love into every scribble, splash or paint, or smashed leaf he tried to shape."
A GoFundMe and a meal train fundraiser have been created to support Summer's family.
What happened in the Bend, Oregon, school shooting?
The shooting unfolded just before 1 p.m. local time on Oct. 15. Authorities said the shooter jumped over the school's fence and fired at a passing vehicle before he shot through entry doors and made his way into the special education classroom, where he fired as many as 15 rounds.
Police identified the teacher killed as 25-year-old Megan Lambert. Education assistant Rebecca “Becky” Drury was one of the injured, a family spokesperson told USA TODAY.
Bend Police have said the school resource officer, a member of law enforcement who works in schools, was assigned to multiple schools and was not at Silver Rail when the shooting happened.
The suspect was fatally shot by the parent of two students at the school, a bystander who witnessed the suspect fire at a truck and go into the school. That bystander was identified by family members to multiple media outlets as Kaylub Giamanco. Another teacher in the classroom, who was not injured, also fought the shooter; police said she threw a cell phone at him and tackled him to try and take his weapon. Both the bystander and the teacher were credited as heroes for preventing further bloodshed.
The suspect used a Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and 12-gauge birdshot, buckshot, and slugs were found at the scene, as were 44 additional rounds of 12-gauge ammunition.
The shotgun was purchased legally, law enforcement said, and there were other firearms found in the shooter's home. Police have not said how the teen accessed the gun and ammunition.
The law firms' investigation will look into the weapon and how it was accessed, if there were warnings prior to the shooting and whether the school's security protocols were followed, the legal team said.
Tips can be emailed to info@worthingtoncaron.com, lawyers said.
Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Family of 5-year-old victim hire lawyers to investigate Bend shooting
Source: Crime
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