Bend school shooter’s mother had past assault charges
Records show Shauntai Nickerson was charged twice in 2023 but avoided conviction, allowing her to legally buy the shotgun used in the attack.
By Kwame Silva ·
Oregon law requires a four-year gap between a violent misdemeanor conviction and the purchase of a new firearm. This rule did not stop a Bend mother from buying the shotgun used in last week’s school shooting because her earlier charges were dismissed. The weapon killed four people at Silver Rail Elementary School on October 16.
Shauntai Nickerson purchased the Mossberg Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun in August 2026. The firearm, which typically costs between $250 and $300, was registered in her name. Law enforcement officials confirmed that her 16-year-old son, the shooter, was legally permitted to have the gun because a parent provided it. Oregon allows 16- and 17-year-olds to use rifles and shotguns under these specific conditions.
Nickerson faced two separate assault accusations in 2023. The first incident occurred in January when police reports stated she and her 19-year-old daughter, Ariel Swan, assaulted a woman outside a Taco Bell in Bend. The report describes Nickerson following the victim in a white SUV and attempting to run her over. Both women then exited their vehicle and attacked the victim. Swan was arrested and charged with harassment and attempted fourth-degree assault, but Nickerson was not charged despite reportedly charging at officers during the arrest.
The second incident occurred less than two months later. Nickerson was charged with assault and harassment for causing physical injury to a different victim, a woman in her early 40s. She pleaded guilty to harassment in October 2023. Two weeks later, the office of Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels dismissed the assault charge. The office stated on October 23 that prosecutors did not believe there was sufficient evidence to secure a conviction at trial.
Tung Yin, a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, suggested the outcome likely resulted from a plea bargain. He noted that prosecutors have wide discretion in deciding which cases to pursue. "There are so many crimes that people commit, prosecutors just can't charge them all, so they have to pick and choose," Yin said. Because Nickerson avoided a violent misdemeanor conviction, the four-year waiting period did not apply to her August purchase.
Police have not identified a specific motive for the shooting, though investigators are examining links to extremist groups. The shooter was killed by a parent during the attack. Court records indicate a history of domestic violence involving Nickerson and her then-boyfriend, Kyle Duncan, who pleaded guilty to felony assault and coercion in 2014. Those convictions were vacated after he completed a deferred sentencing program.
Dr. Harold Schwartz, a psychiatry professor at the University of Connecticut, noted that many people share traits like isolation without becoming violent. "The single most significant difference is the availability of the weapon," he said. National data show that 77% of mass shooters legally accessed their firearms, and over 80% of school shooters took guns from family members. Nickerson, Duncan, and Swan did not return calls seeking comment.
