New police records reveal that the Oregon school shooter responsible for killing three children and a teacher had previously reported being bullied at school and punched as many as 14 times during a violent confrontation at home.
Griffin J. John II, 16, carried out the October 15, 2026, shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, killing three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were also seriously injured.
John was fatally shot by Kaylub Giamanco, a father whose two daughters attended the school, after Giamanco followed him inside.
Now, disturbing details about the teenager’s past are emerging as investigators continue working to determine what motivated the attack.
According to an October 27 report from NBC News, police documents describe separate incidents in 2022 and 2025 in which John reported being physically assaulted. One report also documents allegations that he experienced bullying at school.
The revelations are prompting questions about whether bullying, violence at home or other experiences from his childhood might have influenced his actions. However, police have not identified a motive or established that any of those experiences contributed to the shooting.
One of the most disturbing allegations involves a 2025 confrontation between John and a man who had been romantically involved with his mother, Shauntai Nickerson.
According to the police report, Nickerson had been arguing with the man about his involvement with other women. After placing his belongings outside her apartment, she told investigators that he returned, banged on the door, and eventually forced his way inside.
John reportedly attempted to intervene when the disagreement escalated, and the man refused to leave.
The teenager told police the man “began to get violent, and I didn’t want him to hurt my mom at all.”
According to his account, the man threatened both him and his mother before shoving him twice, causing him to drop his phone.
When John tried to retrieve it, he said the man “bodyslammed” him to the ground, wrapped an arm around his head and neck, and repeatedly struck him.
John told officers he was punched in the head approximately 12 to 14 times.
Nickerson called 911, but the man reportedly left before officers arrived. The mother and son later declined to cooperate with an investigation or pursue charges, saying the situation had been resolved.
The reported assault was not the first time the Oregon school shooter had described experiencing physical violence.
In 2022, when John was just 11 years old, police responded to another alleged assault involving a friend of his sister.
Nickerson told investigators that the individual slapped her son across the face hard enough to chip a tooth and also struck him in the back of the head.
John reportedly told officers that the individual challenged him to fight before hitting him. He claimed he was then punched in the back of his head four to six times.
An officer examining the teenager documented seeing a small chip in one of his lower front teeth.
During that investigation, John’s sister revealed another troubling detail.
She told police her brother had returned home from school crying because he said he was being bullied.
According to the officer’s report, John was reluctant to report the bullying to school officials because he feared upsetting his mother.
Nickerson also told investigators that her son “had special needs.” One officer wrote that John “likely had a cognitive disability,” based on observations of his communication and speech patterns. The report did not establish a formal medical diagnosis.
Police attempted to contact the individual accused in the 2022 incident but were unsuccessful, according to the records.
These accounts have added another dimension to the ongoing Oregon school shooter investigation, particularly because John had previously attended the same elementary school where he carried out the massacre.
Police confirmed that he was a former Silver Rail student but was no longer enrolled in the Bend-La Pine school district when the shooting occurred.
His previous enrollment and the newly reported bullying allegations have raised questions about whether he harbored resentment connected to his earlier school experiences.
However, investigators have not established where the alleged bullying occurred, who was responsible, or whether any previous conflict involved Silver Rail Elementary.
There is also no publicly verified evidence connecting the murdered children or teacher to the teenager’s reported experiences.
Authorities say John approached the school carrying a 12-gauge shotgun on October 15. He climbed a fence onto school property, fired at a passing vehicle, and then shot through locked glass doors to gain entry.
He entered a classroom serving students with special needs and opened fire.
The victims included Lambert and three children. Five-year-old Rhoam Summer was publicly identified, while the families of the two older children requested privacy.
The Oregon school shooter’s reported history of bullying and violence is only one aspect of the circumstances investigators are examining.
Police have also investigated his home, electronic devices, and online activity while searching for evidence that could explain his actions.
Authorities confirmed that the shotgun used in the attack had been legally purchased. Separate reporting identified Nickerson as the purchaser, although investigators have not publicly established exactly how her son obtained access to the weapon.
The possibility that bullying or domestic violence influenced his actions remains unproven. Those experiences alone cannot establish why someone commits a mass shooting, and having a disability does not establish a predisposition toward violence.
Meanwhile, the community continues mourning the victims and supporting the survivors.
On October 27, Bend-La Pine Schools announced that Silver Rail Elementary would remain closed for repairs through November 6. A survey found that 86.2% of responding families preferred returning to the school when it was ready to reopen.
