Bend Family Hires Three Firms for Independent School Shooting Probe

The parents of 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, who was killed in the Oct. 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, have retained three law firms to conduct an independent investigation separate from the criminal inquiry. The investigation will examine school security and active-shooter procedures, possible systemic failures and missed warnings, and how the 16-year-old shooter obtained and stored the legally purchased shotgun and entered the school. The shooting killed four people—Rhoam, two other children and a teacher—and injured two others before a parent fatally shot the teen. The firms say the investigation may take weeks or months and will assess possible legal claims; no lawsuit has been filed.