Rhoam Summer, 5, the youngest child killed in the Oregon school shooting, was a fast runner and a fearless climber who loved reading and his stuffed animals, his aunt said on Friday, as per AP. A GoFundMe has now been started to support his grieving family.
Who was Rhoam Summer?
According to AP, Rhoam was one of three children killed, along with a teacher, in Thursday’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. The other two children were ages 8 and 11. Bend is a mountain-ringed city of about 100,000 people in central Oregon.
Rhoam’s aunt, Swan Sheridan, whose sister is Rhoam’s mother, spoke about him on Friday. “He never met a stuffie that he didn’t think needed to be rescued and cared for,” she said, as per AP.
Sheridan said he liked all of his sea creature stuffed animals to be in his favorite color: rainbow. “He had a great fondness for sharks and dinosaurs and creatures that were, in his words, ‘misunderstood,’” she said.
She said her nephew would climb and jump off anything and was an “incredibly fast” runner, even at a young age. “He was a little ball of energy from the moment he was born,” she said. “He was a very, very happy child,” she added.
Also read: GoFundMe launched for Kaylub Giamanco, who risked life to stop Oregon school gunman
GoFundMe for the Summer family
A GoFundMe titled “Supporting the Summer Family” has been created. According to the page, the family is grieving the “heartbreaking loss” of their “sweet 5-year-old son, Rhoam.”
The page says there are “no words that can ease the pain of losing a child.” It says the organizers want the community to surround the family with “love, compassion, and support.”
As per the page, the money will help “ease the burden of everyday responsibilities” so the family can focus on being together, grieving, and taking things “one day at a time.”
The page also says that people who cannot donate can send a gift card or keep the family in their thoughts and prayers. “Every gesture of kindness means more than words can express,” it says.
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What happened at Silver Rail Elementary School?
According to AP, the shooting took place on Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, a city in central Oregon.
Police said 16-year-old Griffin J John II entered the school by shooting through locked doors. Authorities said he had been a special needs student at the school and attacked a classroom where students with special needs were present.
Police Chief Mike Krantz said a parent saw the gunman shooting outside the school, followed him inside and shot him several times. The parent was identified as Kaylub Giamanco by his mother, Kenda Freeman, in a statement read to reporters on Friday.
Police found the teenage suspect dead inside the school minutes after the first calls for help, Krantz said.
Three children, including Rhoam, and teacher Meghan Lambert were killed. Another student and a teacher were wounded.