Oregon father shot school gunman after hearing children plead for help

Three students and a teacher lost their lives at Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon earlier this month when a 16-year-old former pupil opened fire. Kaylub Giamanco, the father of two students at the school, fatally shot the attacker to stop the violence. He has described the intense emotional weight of the day, focusing on the children he could not reach in time.

In an interview aired on Friday by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Giamanco addressed the families of the victims directly. He expressed a desire to meet them and offer comfort. 'I want to apologise for not saving their babies,' Giamanco said. He acknowledged the gratitude for the survivors but emphasized the grief over those who did not make it out.

The attack resulted in six people being shot in a single classroom. The three students killed were boys aged five, eight, and 11. The youngest, Rhoam Summer, was five years old. His father described the family as 'broken and lost.' The other two boys have not been publicly named at their families' request.

Megan Lambert, a 25-year-old teacher, was also killed. Her family described her position as her 'dream job' and noted that she always fought for students with special needs. A second teacher, Becky Drury, 54, was wounded. She said in a statement that the gunman shot her as she attempted to close her classroom door. A fifth student was also injured.

Giamanco explained that his presence at the scene was a result of a small daily routine change. It was school picture day, so he and his wife spent extra time preparing their daughters. He decided to go home for lunch with his wife instead of eating at his carpentry workplace. That route took him past the school just as the shooting began.

He initially thought the man with a long gun was playing a prank until he saw the attacker fire at a pickup truck and move toward the building. Giamanco retrieved a handgun from his car and called emergency services. He told the operator, 'I'm sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die.'

Hearing children plead for their lives, Giamanco crawled toward the school. He noted that the attacker had shot through the locked glass doors. Giamanco described feeling like the 'last line of defence' for the children. He told himself it was probably the last thing he would ever do before entering the building.

Inside, he found a teacher locked in a struggle with the gunman. Police identified the shooter as Griffin J John II, a former pupil who had attended special education classes at the school. The teacher had thrown her phone at him, tackled him, and fought for his shotgun. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said she 'almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed.'

Giamanco opened the classroom door and fired at the attacker. He shot again when the gunman reached for his weapon. Giamanco credited the teacher with giving him the chance to intervene without losing his own life. He called her a 'real true hero.' After placing his gun on the ground and raising his hands, he called his wife to tell her to come to the school immediately.

Giamanco’s identity became public less than a day after the shooting. His mother, Kenda Freeman, read a family statement asking for privacy and noting that he was not seeking recognition. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised his actions while acknowledging the emotional burden. Giamanco said he now lies awake after his family sleeps, replaying the faces, voices, and screams of that morning.