Oregon law allowed Bend shooter's mother to buy shotgun after 2023 charges

A week after four people died in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, records show the shooter's mother legally bought the weapon used in the attack.

Shauntai Nickerson purchased a Mossberg Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun in August. The firearm, which typically costs between $250 and $300, is registered in her name. Law enforcement officials confirmed the purchase was legal under state statutes.

Oregon law prohibits selling firearms to individuals convicted of a violent misdemeanor within the last four years. Nickerson faced two assault accusations in 2023, but neither resulted in a conviction. Had she been convicted in either case, the restriction would have blocked the sale.

The first incident occurred in January 2023. A Bend police report states that Nickerson, then 40, and her daughter Ariel Swan, then 19, assaulted a woman outside a Taco Bell. The report describes Nickerson following the victim in a white SUV and attempting to run her over. Swan was charged with harassment and attempted fourth-degree assault. Nickerson was not charged in that instance.

A second charge followed in March 2023. Nickerson pleaded guilty to harassment in October 2023. The office of Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels dismissed the associated assault charge two weeks later. In a statement issued on October 23, the office explained that prosecutors believed there was insufficient evidence to secure a conviction at trial.

Tung Yin, a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, suggested the outcome likely reflected a plea bargain. He noted that prosecutors often exercise discretion in charging decisions because they cannot pursue every case. "There are so many crimes that people commit, prosecutors just can't charge them all, so they have to pick and choose," he said.

Investigators have not identified a specific motive for the shooting, though Oregon Public Broadcasting reported they are examining links to extremist groups. The 16-year-old shooter was killed by a parent of two students. Court records indicate the shooter's father, Griffin J. John, has a felony assault conviction and is currently homeless in Astoria. Some media outlets reported the shotgun was a birthday gift, a detail the Oregon Journalism Project has not verified.