OMM Newsroom
A teacher in Bend, Oregon, threw her mobile phone aside before tackling a 16-year-old gunman and trying to wrest a shotgun from him as he opened fire in a special educational needs classroom, police said.
While the teacher struggled with the suspect on the classroom floor, a bystander entered the room and fired a .40-caliber pistol, killing him. Three children and a teacher were killed in the attack.
The bystander was the father of two girls at the school. He had been driving past Silver Rail Elementary on Thursday when he saw the suspect firing in the car park and then shooting through a window to get inside. BBC World reported the details, which police confirmed.
Police said the suspect had about 44 additional rounds of shotgun ammunition when he was stopped. He fired as many as 15 rounds in the classroom.
“To the people who showed courage in the face of such violence, and intervened to prevent this tragedy from being any worse, we owe you a debt of gratitude,” Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said on Friday.
At a news conference, police identified two of the four people killed: five-year-old Rhoam Summer and 25-year-old teacher Meghan Lambert. The families of the other two pupils, aged eight and 11, did not want their names made public yet, police said.
Two people were injured. A 54-year-old teacher remained in hospital, while a seven-year-old pupil was in serious but stable condition.
Krantz said the actions of both the teacher and the father who entered the school saved lives. The teacher was not injured and “almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed”, he said.
Police identified the suspect as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former pupil at the school who had special educational needs. A search warrant was executed at his home and the search was continuing, Krantz said.
Police believe the suspect walked to the elementary school. Investigators are still examining his movements and how he obtained the gun. His motive is not clear.
Father identified by family
Police did not publicly identify the father who intervened. His family identified him to US media as Kaylub Giamanco.
The 36-year-old carpenter had finished lunch and was heading home when he passed the school, his brother told NBC News. He saw the suspect shoot at a vehicle outside, then fire through a window and enter the building.
Police said Giamanco had a legally concealed .40-caliber pistol in his vehicle. His brother said he took the gun “and decided to go in after” the suspect. Police said Giamanco fired at him “multiple times”, killing him.
In a statement to the BBC’s partner CBS News, Giamanco’s family said he was a “lifelong resident of Bend” and “is not seeking recognition”. The family said he wanted to express his “gratitude to the first responders, school personnel, and community for the outpouring of love and support”. He and his family “respectfully ask for privacy”.
US President Donald Trump praised the bystander’s actions on Friday, calling him a “great hero”. Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving for Georgia, Trump said the situation could have been “much worse” without the intervention.
“It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it,” Trump said.
Without naming the bystander, Governor Kotek also praised his actions in preventing further loss of life. She said those actions “carry a heavy emotional burden” and added: “I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well.”
