Emilio Hoffman, a White/Caucasian male, age 14, was killed on June 10, 2014, when a student opened fire at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon. That morning, the gunman entered the detached gym building and shot Emilio inside the boys’ locker room, triggering a campus-wide lockdown as students and staff sheltered in place. Physical education teacher and track coach Todd Rispler was grazed while fleeing and managed to reach the office to alert administrators, a step police later said
helped initiate the lockdown and save lives.
Investigators identified the shooter as 15-year-old Jared Michael Padgett, a freshman at the school. According to authorities, he arrived on campus carrying a guitar case and duffel bag, concealed an AR-15–type rifle and other gear, and moved through the locker room area before the attack. As officers began to enter the main hallway, the gunman retreated into a nearby restroom; an exchange of gunfire occurred with one of the first responders, and the shooter died there of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said there was no known prior connection between him and Emilio and that no motive had been established.
Investigators reported that the shooter had also carried—but did not fire—a semiautomatic handgun, along with multiple loaded magazines and a knife, and wore a vest designed to carry ammunition. The firearms were taken from his family’s home after he defeated the security measures in place there. In the days following the shooting, officials emphasized the quick actions by staff and law enforcement that contained the attack and facilitated a careful, room-by-room evacuation.
Authorities stated that the attack was carried out by a lone assailant. There were no arrests related to Emilio’s killing; the shooter died at the scene. During the larger evacuation, officers did detain an unrelated individual after finding a gun, but police clarified that person was not involved in the shooting.
