Oregon father recounts confronting gunman at daughters’ elementary school

Kaylub Giamanco, the father who fatally shot a gunman during an attack at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, has described his intervention and his anguish over those he could not save.

The October 15 attack killed teacher Megan Lambert, 25, and three boys aged five, eight and 11. Another teacher and a child were wounded. The attacker, identified as 16-year-old former student Griffin J. John II, was killed by Giamanco.

In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter whose daughters attend the school, said he happened to be nearby after deciding to return home for lunch. He initially wondered whether the armed person he saw was playing a prank, but then saw him fire at a vehicle and head toward the school.

Giamanco retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and called emergency services. “I’m sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die,” he recalled telling the dispatcher.

He followed the attacker into the school, crawling toward the building after hearing gunfire and children pleading for their lives. After entering through a shattered window, Giamanco reached a classroom where a teacher was struggling with the gunman. He opened the door and fired, then fired again when the teenager reached for his weapon. Giamanco credited the teacher’s actions with allowing him to intervene.

Giamanco said he wants to meet the victims’ families. “The gratitude for saving people’s children is awesome, but there were ones that I didn’t save,” he said. He also called for school resource officers at every campus and said he hopes to support school-safety fundraising.