Hero Dad Recounts Killing Oregon School Shooter

Kaylub Giamanco, 36, has spoken out for the first time about the harrowing moments he shot and killed the teenage gunman at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, on October 15. Giamanco, whose children attend the school, described the event as a period of "full panic" as he intervened to stop the shooter, Griffin John II, 16.

Giamanco was on his lunch break when he saw the shooter firing at a vehicle in front of him. He then witnessed John throw his rifle over a fence and proceed toward the school. "That's when panic flooded into my brain," Giamanco told Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). He retrieved his gun from his center console, loaded the magazine, and immediately called 911 to report the shooter entering the school. He quickly ended the call, telling the dispatcher, "I'm sorry, but I have to go in. People are going to die."

Crawling along the school's windows, Giamanco heard the sounds of children pleading and then gunfire. He proceeded into the school, where he encountered the gunman struggling with a teacher. Giamanco entered the classroom and fired at the teenager. After the teacher exited the room, Giamanco observed John attempting to retrieve his weapon and fired two more shots to ensure he was incapacitated. "I was afraid of him shooting anybody else," Giamanco stated.

He recalled the moment he contacted his wife, informing her he would not be home for lunch and needed her to come to the school. He told her he had killed someone and witnessed children die. He also spoke with his mother, Kenda Freeman, recounting the act of taking a child's life to protect his own daughters. "I broke down at that point," he said, holding back tears.

John fired 15 rounds before Giamanco's intervention. The victims included five-year-old Rhoam Summer and teacher Megan Lambert. Two other students were killed, and seven-year-old Saylor Graham and teacher Becky Drury were injured. The investigation into how John obtained his ammunition and his motive remains active. John was a former student of Silver Rail Elementary.

Giamanco expressed gratitude for the public's recognition of his actions but admitted to struggling with the inability to save all the victims. "There is a little bit of this fear to see these families, because I do feel like I've failed them," he told OPB. "But I do want to meet them."

He holds a concealed carry license and stated his intention to use this experience to bring about positive change, reflecting that before this event, he would not have imagined himself capable of such an act. "I'm just a carpenter from Bend, Oregon, you know?" he said.