A 36-year-old Oregon man fatally shot a 16-year-old gunman last week during an attack at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, describing his actions as a desperate attempt to stop the rampage. Kaylub Giamanco, whose two daughters attend the school, said he was passing by the campus when he saw the shooter outside and intervened after hearing children pleading for their lives inside.
The Oct. 15 attack resulted in the deaths of three children (ages 5, 8, and 11) and one teacher, with another student critically injured and a second teacher hospitalized. Police reported that a teacher had thrown her phone at the attacker and wrestled with him before Giamanco entered the building and shot the gunman. The shooter, identified as Griffin J. John II, a former student, had breached locked doors with a shotgun and targeted a special needs classroom.
Giamanco, a carpenter, told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he had decided to go home for lunch that day instead of eating at work. As he drove past the school, he saw a man in black holding a long gun and firing shots at a vehicle and a person mowing the lawn. He said panic set in, and he retrieved a .40-caliber handgun from his truck’s center console before pursuing the shooter on foot. He called 911 but told the dispatcher, “I’m sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die,” before hanging up to confront the gunman.
Inside the school, Giamanco said he crawled toward a broken window and heard children pleading for their lives. He described seeing a teacher struggling with the shooter before he opened the door to the special education classroom and fired. The shooter was killed in the confrontation. Giamanco later expressed regret for not being able to save all the children, saying, “I want to apologize for not saving their babies. That’s probably the biggest thing for me right now.”
School officials confirmed that Silver Rail Elementary remained closed the following day as authorities continued their investigation. The Bend Police Department stated that the shooter’s motive was under review but noted that he had previously attended the school. The incident has reignited discussions about school safety measures and armed civilian response in Oregon.
Giamanco, who has not been charged, is being praised by some community members for his actions. However, he has also expressed emotional distress over the outcome, stating that the gratitude for saving lives is overshadowed by the lives he could not reach in time.