Giamanco Details Six-Shot Intervention at Silver Rail Elementary

Kaylub Giamanco fired six shots at a 16-year-old gunman inside Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon earlier this month, killing the attacker and ending a shooting that left three students and a teacher dead. Giamanco, 36, a carpenter and father of two, described the sequence of events in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting that aired Friday. He said he retrieved a handgun from his car after seeing the shooter fire at a pickup truck and move toward the school building.

The attack began on a day that started with Giamanco preparing packed lunches for his daughters for school picture day. He decided to return home to eat with his wife, a route that took him past the school as the violence began. Giamanco initially thought a man carrying a long gun might be joking until shots were fired. He called emergency services, stating, 'I'm sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die.'

Giamanco followed the attacker, who shot through the school's locked glass doors. Hearing children plead for their lives, Giamanco crawled toward the building. He told himself it was likely the last thing he would ever do. He crawled through a broken window into a classroom where a teacher was struggling with the gunman. Giamanco opened the door and fired. He shot the attacker again when the boy reached for his weapon. Giamanco placed his gun on the floor and raised his hands as an officer arrived.

The shooter, identified as Griffin J John II, was a former student who attended special education classes at the school. Police said six people were shot in the classroom. Three boys, aged five, eight, and 11, were killed. A teacher, Megan Lambert, 25, also died. Two others, a teacher and a student, were wounded. The injured teacher, Becky Drury, 54, said the gunman shot her as she tried to close her classroom door.

Giamanco credited a teacher who fought the attacker with allowing him to intervene safely. He said she threw her phone at the shooter, tackled him, and fought for his shotgun. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the teacher almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed. Giamanco said he wanted to meet the victims' families and apologize for not saving every child. 'I want to apologise for not saving their babies,' he said.

Giamanco's name became public less than a day after the shooting. His mother, Kenda Freeman, read a statement asking for privacy, noting her son did not seek recognition. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised his intervention and acknowledged the emotional cost. Giamanco said he now lies awake at night, replaying the events. 'I relive, I see faces, I hear voices, I hear screams,' he said. The youngest victim, Rhoam Summer, aged five, was named by police. His father said the family is broken and lost.

Police are still investigating the motive for the attack. The other two boys killed have not been publicly named at the request of their families. Giamanco described feeling like the last line of defense between the children and the gunman. He said he believed he was supposed to be there that day. After the shooting, he called his wife to tell her he would not be home for lunch and that she needed to get to the school immediately. He then called his mother to explain what had happened.